From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-11-04 14:46:00 UTC
Subject: Re: "Sudden" foot tumor
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Marie Schatz" <marys1000@h...> wrote:
> Saturday night, home from drill and go to do the weekly
> toe trim with Ferretone on the belly - Holy Cow - Giesela
> has a large really ugly looking tumor on top of her front foot!
> Round, sticks up quite far - size of a LARGE pea, maybe dark
pink "inside"
> - its ummm very rough, some of the edges of the rough skin are
darker so
> I guess thats why i didn't notice it? It seems very crusty and dry.
> I can't possibly have missed this
> for long - mo more than a week to a few days if that. I'm looking
at my
> Hillyer book and there so many things I'm sort of lost.
> Giesela is 6, seems otherwise healthy. Had one adrenal removed
> last summer and at the same time several mast cell tumors - all
tested and
> came back benign. She had had one mast cell removed a couple years
> before that. This doesn't look anything like those. Touching it
doesn't
> make
> her scream or anything. Obviously I'm calling the vet Monday - but
there
> aren't any really good ferret vets around here. Clues? Tips? Tests
to run?
Dear Mary:
A picture would be very helpful - but your description sounds very
much like a sebaceous epithelioma - a common benign tumor of ferret
skin, and often seen on the digits.
Best test - surgical removal and histopathological analysis, of
course!
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM