From:
alexstlouis@msn.com
Date: 2004-07-10 18:12:20 UTC
Subject: Small lump in thoat but no obvious discomfort
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <6061072.1089483140599.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Dear All,
I would greatly appreciate advice on this matter.
I have a ferret (named Yuki) who is a 6-month-old female. I recently (less than 2 weeks ago) noticed that she has a small lump in the back of her throat, just above where the left side of her tongue meets the side of the throat. Please see the image 'lump_in_throat.jpg' for details.
The lump appears the same colour as the rest of her throat, if a little paler (it looks brighter in the picture I have taken due to the reflection of light upon it at the time). The shape of the lump is regular and its surface is as smooth as the surrounding skin.
She is in no apparent discomfort, appearing and behaving normally in every way. Her breath does not have any particularly noticeable odour.
2 months ago I went on holiday, leaving Yuki in the care of another for 3 weeks. Although she appeared to handle this well, I believe that it may possibly be a mouth ulcer caused by the stress of this experience.
I also found that during this time she had had a ferret dietary supplement added to her food, which we continued to feed her upon taking her home. I have now removed this from her diet, in case this lump is a symptom of an allergy.
Could anyone advise me as to what I should do? At present I am unsure and I would rather not risk having any invasive treatment performed too early. Conversely, I would not like to waste time if it is highly unlikely that this is something harmless.
Best Regards,
Alex