From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2003-10-02 19:11:08 UTC
Subject: RE: Urgent request for help for Chocolate Moose
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <6345197.1065121868014.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Linda, Pred is a good drug for lymphoma as well as for insulinoma.
Ferrets can get cysts which are unrelated to other disease processes, too. Ruffle had liver cysts. Her type was bad one and surgery had to be risked despite her also having insulinoma which about the same time began uncontrolled grande mal seizures and cardiomyopathy. So, she lost part of her liver (but it turned out that the cysts were widely spread enough that not all of the affected lobes could be removed) and had insulinomae removed and fortunately, even though the chances were very high of her not making it she survived the surgery.
Has your vet discussed with you the ups and downs of getting a biopsy of at least one mass to do pathology and know what is there? It's the only way to know. This does not always mean sugery; some ultrasound providers will help a vet do an ultrasound guided aspiration for certain growths (been there with something else) but I doubt that is the right approach for all. When it does mean surgery it does not necessarily mean as large a surgery as a bigger operation, though if they are cysts and are a dangerous type and haven't spread widely yet then surgery might be even more valuable for Chocolate Moose than it was for Ruffle. Ruffie was in danger of dying within days, but surgery gave her something like6 to 9 months which in "ferret years" is in the range of about 5 to 8 years of human life span.
Rapid breathing can be caused by by pain. If you vet thinks that may be the case, please, discuss meds like Torb for pain control. We have found that when pain control is needed thereis little to no dopeiness resulting from the meds, but there is a return of quality of life.
Here are some excellent pages for understanding the meanings of blood results:
http://www.ferretuniverse.com/health/cbc.asp
http://miamiferret.org/fhc/physiology.htm
There are more out there, too.
How old is Chocolate Moose? If he is 3 or 4 then a biopsy and perhaps chemo may be in order.
Sometimes what seems un-approachable to non-vets like you or me is very approachable to vets who better understand the risk rates and the options, so it is best to have a long chat with your vet discussing these things and what may be possible to do.
End of ferrethealth Digest
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