From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2004-12-01 21:57:23 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] RE: Lymphoma cluster
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <20041201215723.37827.qmail@web50805.mail.yahoo.com>
Hi, Sukie and everyone else,
>
> 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.
Nyssa was started on pediapred (prednisolone)
yesterday and is feeling much better. She and Ayeka,
who has been on pred for nearly four months, spent the
day at the vet today and both are doing well again. I
don't know how long that will last.
We've never actually used pain killers on our ferts
with lympho. They have gone from doing reasonably
well to being on death's door so quickly that we never
had a chance to go that route. Since the disease is
progressing slowly in Lady Ayeka she may be the first
one we give torb to.
>
> Clusters are terrible. We've had two, the larger in
> 5 ferrets.
I'm sorry. It's such a helpless feeeling, isn't it?
What makes it worse is that a ferret can have lymphoma
and be asymptomatic. Then, suddenly, some major
symptom hits. We've seen sudden blindness (Tenchi and
Nyssa), sudden paralysis (Ker Avon), and a golf ball
sized swelling that appeared overnight (Adric). If we
had detected it early maybe we could have done more.
> 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.
Well... we're running out of ferrets. All our ferrets
except Podo, Kodo, and Chin Soon came to us in 1998.
Pertwee died of liver cancer before this all started.
Romana is the only one left from the eight we took in
that year who is unaffected. I hope she's not going
to end up with lymphoma as well.
Podo and Kodo both came to us in 2001 and both were
lost to lymphoma, but in extreme old age. I don't
know if they "count" or not.
Chin Soon is a recent arrival. Your post gives me
hope for her. It also makes me feel better about
adopting again.
All the best,
Caity and the fantastic four
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