From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2004-12-01 03:59:22 UTC
Subject: RE: Lymphoma cluster
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <670278.1101873562935.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Usually here we wind up with a combo of Prednisolone and Torb to keep things as comfy as they can be for as long as possible.
Clusters are terrible. We've had two, the larger in 5 ferrets.
There is a wonderful pdf of a Ferrets magazine article by Dr. Bruce Williams at
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
on lymphoma
including
>In fact, in 1995, researchers at the
>Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>were able to transmit lymphoma between
>ferrets with cellfree extracts, suggesting a
>possible viral cause for lymphoma, or at
>least some forms of it. The development
>of lymphoma in this experiment took several
>years in inoculated individuals, and not all
>inoculated ferrets developed lymphoma,
>but the results of this study are too intriguing
>to ignore. To date, however, a virus has yet
>to be identified or isolated from malignant
>lymphoma in ferrets.
Note the several years part.
When we have had clumps there seemed to be a cut off date and the ferrets who entered our household after it simply weren't at added risk. With an established household it can be hard to know where the cut off date is, but do realize that you can look forward to one, and that it appears that ferrets who came into your household after it should be like our's have been and at no greater risk of the disease than any other ferret.