From:
"Waffle007 @hotmail.com"
Date: 2004-01-05 04:00:58 UTC
Subject: Benign abnormal bone growth
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <BAY2-F17IDndC9LT6ye0000186f@hotmail.com>
Hi all---I recently found out that my ferret has developed a condition which
both my vet and his "specialist" friend are unfamiliar with, and I was
wondering if anyone out there might have some additional suggestions for me.
My ferret is a four-year-old male who had developed some difficulty with
mobility---he has strength in all of his limbs and can move them and will
get up to go to the bathroom/eat (note--he has a very healthy appetite which
has not been altered by his recent problems) however he has alot of trouble
coordinating his movements. This difficulty has gotten progressively worse
over a 5 month period of time since its first hints. My vet did a full
blood work-up on him and he is metabolically normal...he was also given an
ultrasound which also showed nothing out of the ordinary. The problem was
revealed when an x-ray indicated that the bump on his neak was not a tumor
(as originally believed) but rather an abnormal bone growth. My vet feels
that it is highly unlikely that the growth is malignant as it has been
forming very slowly over a long period of time and has not shown any rapid
growth. However due to its positioning (all formed out of the first
vertebrae and very close to his brain stem and major arteries/nerves) he
feels that any form of surgery would be too risky. Currently he is being
treated with 1/2 mL of prednisone each day---with the hope that if his
mobility problems are being caused by a swelling of the spinal cord as a
result of the bone overgrowth that his symptoms will lessen----he has been
on this does for two and a half weeks now with no apparent mobility
improvement. I was just wondering if anyone out there may have heard of/
seen a similar case and have any suggestions for us.
Thank you for all your help.
Sincerely,
Colleen
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