From:
"bzwithmybirds"
Date: 2008-04-08 04:38:29 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] A Mixed Message of Hope and Sorrow...I'm sorry,..this is very long...
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi All,
I joined quite some time ago, and am guilty of "lurking" without
participating. With all of the informative posts, helpful answers,
links and archives contained here, I've spent most of my time
absorbing information instead of contributing. For this, I apologize.
I hope that what I write here will help someone else down the road.
I have...as of this afternoon...7 ferrets. (Until today, I had 8.) My
oldest is ten, and has been with me the longest. He has had no major
health issues, other than his advanced age and a cataract. He shares
a condo with my next-oldest male ferret, Sonny, who is 8.
Due to all the information and references here, when Sonny began
feeling poorly, I knew immediately that it was insulinoma. I tested
his blood glucose levels using the methods I found in the links, and
made "duck soup" for him to keep him stable. I was able to provide my
vet with glucose readings that I took throughout the day, as well as
the exact amounts of food Sonny consumed. I also noted the times of
day that he "crashed." Sonny is now taking prednisolone, and I am
continueing with his "duck soup" diet. He is energetic, alert, has a
gorgeous, sleek coat, and no longer staggers or loses control of his
back legs. (He'd been on the diet for a few months, with much
success, prior to adding the pred.) His new vet could not believe
that he was eight - I had to show him Sonny's "old man" teeth before
he'd believe that my sleek, shiny boy was older than 3! I want to
thank everyone who participates in this group from the bottom of my
heart - without you, I never would have known anything about Sonny's
condition! I know that at best I'm just buying him time, since he's
too old for surgery. Still, I can enjoy his company and prepare for
the day that he lets me know it's time to go...
...Which brings me to today. My 5 year old girl, Shadow, was prone in
the litter box when I got home late this afternoon. I thought at
first that she was dead - she was barely breathing, and she was very
cold. There was a bit of black, tarry stool on her belly, but none in
either litter box. She shares her condo with two other girls;
Tiffany, who is 8, and Socksey, who is 4. They've all been prancing
and playing normally, until today. Her roomates were pacing around
her and were obviously upset by what they saw. I warmed Shadow with a
heating pad as I dialed her vet. I got an immediate appointment, and
rushed her in. Shadow has NEVER been sick - not even a loose bowel
movement - until today. There have been no outward signs of illness.
She's been eating/drinking normally, playing intensely during "out
time" and napping no more than usual. Her litterbox habits were
impeccable. She was not overweight, and her coat/skin/eyes were
healthy. Yet here she was, nearly unconscious, limp...and when I felt
her belly, there was a large lump that seemed to give her pain. The
vet saw us right away, and when I described what happened, he
palpated the lump. He said that it was a large tumor that most likely
had ruptured...or maybe that her intestine had ruptured because of
the tumor...? It's a teary blur, so my recollections aren't clear. He
said that there was no way to treat her. The mass was too huge, and
she was too far gone. He recommended euthanasia as the best, kindest
thing, since she was in such pain. I agreed. Now she's gone, I'm
broken-hearted, and wondering what I could have done differently. I'd
mentally prepared myself for my "old boys" to go...NOT my bright,
silly, happy Shadow!
My question is this: How can a tumor appear/grow so rapidly? Is this
the normal progression of cancer in ferrets? Shouldn't there have
been outward symptoms if she was ridden with such a huge mass? I held
and played with Shadow every day and didn't note an obvious weight
change. She was an average-sized female ferret, so a tumor of that
size had to make up a large percentage of her total weight. It wasn't
until she was on her back today that I noticed the lump, and even
then, I noticed it because I thought perhaps she had an intestinal
blockage. (I was purposely feeling the area.) When the vet showed me
the size of the tumor, I was shocked. How could something of that
size not have affected her behavior until it was too late to treat
her? Since I did not order a necropsy, I don't know what type of
cancer she had, or what organs were affected. My guess is that most
of her organs were, though. My only consolation is that I was there
for her at the end. I just wish I could have been better prepared, or
more aware.
I am grateful to anyone who can give me information, or links to
information, regarding what happened to Shadow. I want to know what
to look out for, so none of my furkids have to suffer what she must
have gone through. I know there are many types of cancer, but if
there is one that is particularly fast-growing, it would help if I
could get information about it. In seeking knowledge, I can work
through the grief of losing my baby so suddenly.
Thank you for making it to the end of this very long post.
- Lisa and the Furbutts
Hagrid, Sonny, Snickers, Icius, Charlie, Tiffany, Socksey
(In loving memory of Shadow.)
------------------------------------
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