From:
Marie Schatz
Date: 2002-11-06 10:34:08 UTC
Subject: Need help and input
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <47D58BFA-F173-11D6-8556-000393AB6D96@attbi.com>
Giesela, my 7+ yr old sprite was just diagnosed with probable
Lymphosarcoma.
Biopsy tomorrow but the vet feels sure. She was x-rayed for something
unrelated in May and her liver looked normal. In October she was
x-rayed for her limp and her liver was acutely enlarged but my hometown
vet missed it. I finally got to the vet 1.5 hours away today and he
noticed it on the x-ray right away. Did another x-ray, now the liver
has a huge nodule draping off of it as well. He says the lymphnodes
are involved.
I feel terrible and all I can say in my defense is that the ones in her
neck are not enlarged. I massage her all the time and thought what I
felt in her armpits and and behind her back legs was just fatty
deposits - they didn't jump out at me.
I'm not sure how he's coming up with this but he thinks the lymphnode
involvement is what's causing the limp (right rear leg). That probably
started in September.
So from a normal looking x-ray in May to September - he thinks that is
faster than normal for Lymphosarcoma which is scaring me to death.
Immediately after biopsy is done I will start her on Pred.
Then i have to decide whether to add chemo.
She had 1 adrenal removed 2 years ago and there doesn't seem to be any
recurrance.
Maybe 4-5 months ago I had a blood test done which suggested insulinoma
- at this point I'm not sure how much I trust my home town vet. I've
been feeding duck soup twice a day, she's never seizured etc. that i
know of or had really severe noticeable symptoms but at her age etc. it
would be perfectly likely to have some pancreatic tumors.
She eats and drinks well.
Recently she was barely getting up to eat and i thought it was time for
steroids for the insulinoma but a hunch said try antiobiotics, we just
finished them a couple of days ago, she perked right up on day two so
apparently she had something going on.
Any input or advice would be helpful. I will discuss specific doses of
med's and treatment with the out of town Dr. I have doing the biopsy to
have my hometown Dr. do.
I don't want to slam vets but my vet has missed SOOOOO many things even
with me proding and asking questions. He just doesn't have that
detective nature that a good vet needs. I wish there was a good with
ferrets in town but not that I've heard of at all. I'll have to try in
Kalamazoo again. Even Michigan State is a tiny bit closer.
As advanced as it looks in the x-ray - is it too late?
I understand that pred in a tablet is hard to give. I will try to find
some time to surf on the web but any personal emails with tips would
certainly be welcom.
Thanks in advance for any personal histories, advice, input
Mary