From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-03-07 07:00:00 UTC
Subject: Re: re Spindle cell tumours again,again + again!!!
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "estellejackson"
<estelle.jackson@e...> wrote:
> Hi all
> I posted last time around Christmas + thought it time I updated on
my poor ferret Zorro. He has had lots ( about 7) tumours removed
from his skin that the lab said were " spindle cell sarcomas". Since
then he has had another growth appear on his leg, the lump in his
groin has come back , but worst of all he now has a HUGE lump in his
abdomen . He has too many lumps to remove as they all seem to be
infiltrating into surrounding tissue and so the day will come soon
when I will have to say goodbye to him. ...The thing that worries me
is that he may be in pain and just not showing it. I would hate to
think I was letting him suffer.
Dear Estelle:
I am sorry to hear that Biscuit is not doing well - he certainly is
an odd case. I would be interested in contacting the pathologist and
getting a sample of some of his tissue to run some specialized tests
on it to see if perhaps we can, at least for the record, come up with
a more specific diagnosis. It certainly would make a good case
report, if we can coordinate the investigation between England and
here.
At any rate, the fact that Biscuit still wants to play is a good
sign. Good off of his food, as you would imagine is not quite a good
sign, but I like to believe (however scientific this is) that until
an animal is disinterested in his owner and what is going on around
him, as well as its food, then there is still some quality to life.
This, of course, in in the absence of pain, and these spindle cell
sarcomas generally do not elicit a lot of pain, as we can tell.
Are ferrets stoic - absolutely - that's why we have to closely
monitor their behavior to make sure that we do not keep them alive
for purely selfish reasons. The ability to euthanize an animal is a
wonderful thing, as it prevents suffering, but we must us it
judiciously.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM