From:
Lisa Shortley
Date: 2001-11-14 22:46:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Cancer of the bile duct?
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Bruce Williams, DVM" <williams@e...>
wrote:
> Dear Lisa:
>
> Biliary tract neoplasms are exceedingly rare in ferrets - I have 5
in my collection of 3000 cases - you do the math.
Okay, I'll wait to get the pathology report. She submitted it
complimentary for her own knowledge and it should be in tomorrow or
Friday. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one with "rare" cases of
anything. I know this isn't necessarily true, but it's still
upsetting. I also had the ferret in May/June with metastatic
insulinoma, the little girl with lymphosarcoma in the body of her
stomach in July, and now this.
> Of these, lymphoma was most common, and metastatic adrenal
carcinoma came in second.
Well, Noobie had two adrenal surgeries within these past 5 months.
The first was bilateral and the second found two areas of ectopic
adrenal tissue, one near his liver and another on the left side. I'd
been struggling with Addisons problems with him since his surgery.
He was the reason I'd been writing so many questions on medications
for this and doseages.
> Any chance we took pictures of the necropsy?
I did not observe the necropsy but I will ask her if she did take
pictures. I don't think she did though.
> Regarding the ulcers - this might have been the precipitating
factor for your ferret's rapid demise. Ferrets with any systemic
illness may develop ulcers as a result of stress, so the development
in this case is probably to be expected.
So is this saying that perhaps Noobie had ulcers and this is what
brought the rapid symptoms and death on and the fact that he may have
had cancer could have just been coincidence?
He was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease via biopsies back in
November, 2000. In August at his last adrenal surgery, his stomach
wall, lymph nodes and bowel all seemed to be back to normal. But he
always seemed to have relapsing bouts of diarrhea. It's so sad with
everything that seems to be able to happen to ferrets - and so
suddenly. I wish there was some way of being more prepared for these
sudden deaths.
Thank you for your input and advice. Your responses are invaluable.
Lisa