From:
warriormare@hotmail.com
Date: 2005-02-16 16:45:23 UTC
Subject: mast cell tumors
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <8330227.1108572323122.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
I read some back postings about mast cell tumors. My 3 yr old MF ferret, H=
arry, has a bald circle on his back with a sore in the center. I treated i=
t with antibiotic cream, but it didn't go away. He would scratch at it and=
it would bleed. Then it would disappear, so I would think it had been a s=
ore, and forget about it. A couple times all the hair even grew back, but =
then it would reappear. When it reappeared I did a little research and tho=
ught it was ringworm and bathed him in betadine scrub (an iodine based soap=
used for fungal infections). That seemed to work great and the sore disap=
peared and the hair grew back for about 1 month. Then once again, the hair=
fell out and the sore appeared. It will look like nothing but a dot one d=
ay, and bleed the next, and again the next look like nothing. I took him t=
o the vet who told me it is probably a mast cell tumor. At this point Harr=
y now has 3 spots like this on his back. And the hair on his back is falli=
ng out and his skin looks pretty thin. Beacuse I have also seen him "matin=
g" with his female ferret friends, I thought he was adrenal, but just not l=
osing his hair in the normal places (I thought he had 2 issues). The vet t=
ells me all male ferrets will do that and his being bald is due to the mast=
cell tumors. The vet wanted to do a biopsy for $250. I am wondering- is =
a biopsy how you find out for sure that this is what it is? I know with my=
dog the vet aspirated the tumor and could see mast cells under the microsc=
ope. I understand it would be very hard to aspirate Harry's because it is =
so tiny. But it seems for the cost, it would be better to just plain have =
it removed, as check to see first what it is? Any help would be appreciate=
d. Also, is removing them the best thing, or, since I keep reading they ar=
e benign, is "ignoring" them the best thing. The vet also told me Harry ha=
s a heart arythmya (spelling?), which no other vet has ever told me. I liv=
e in a new area that is very hard to find a ferret vet. I have checked the=
list of vets around the country, and there are none within 100 miles of me=
. Thank you, I love this website.
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