From:
Holly Gorrell
Date: 2002-01-10 20:37:00 UTC
Subject: possible hemangiosarcoma in ferret spleen?
Some of you may know me from the FML. I am a new member on
this list. I had a ferret that went in today for adrenal
surgery and Insulinoma. I just got a call from our vet. He
said that she had a huge, ugly black tumor on her right
adrenal gland that was growing into her liver. He was able to
completely remove this mass without her having any major
bleeding problems. The left adrenal was normal. He could
find no evidence of tumors in the pancreas, but took some
biopsies. Her spleen was huge (knew this prior to the
surgery) and had a huge tumor on it. He called it a
hemangiosarcoma. He admits that he is not terribly
knowledgeable about these tumors in ferrets. He knows they
are bad news in dogs. He is sending it off for further
analysis. He also said he will do some research into the
topic. He said there is a possibility it could be a
hemangioma, which I gather is a better diagnosis than
hemangiosarcoma (at least in dogs).
I guess I'm just asking for any information anyone can give me
on the topic. I would like to know more what to expect. Is
this very likely going to be a problem or is the prognosis
still pretty hopeful? I know ferret spleens are odd. Is
there a good chance he could be mistaken about the
hemangiosarcoma? He is a very good vet, but admits he does
not know everything there is to know about ferrets. He really
likes them and seems willing to make an effort to learn.
Prior to the surgery, the ferret had a good appetite and
plenty of energy. She did not act sick, but it was obvious
from the hair loss pattern that she had an adrenal tumor and
bloodwork indicated Insulinoma as well. She was pretty skinny
when I got her 3 weeks ago, but I have been able to put a fair
amount of weight back on her by feeding supplements of "duck
soup". She also had some pretty pronounced rear-leg weakness
when I first got her, but that has improved greatly in the
past few weeks. She has never had any seizures to my
knowledge.
Am I going to need to continue giving her "duck soup"
supplements for the rest of her life? If so, how much should
I give? I would also welcome any good recipes anyone has,
especially recipes that are not overly complicated, (as long
as it is still nutritionally sound of course).
Thanks,
Holly