From:
"bzwithmybirds"
Date: 2008-06-06 15:01:11 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Lymphoma, treatment, chemo ... questions
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I'm so sorry to hear about Daisy's lymphoma diagnosis. It sounds like
she's still enjoying herself in the garden, though, which is
encouraging!
I have a few questions for you, because my Sonny (insulinomic ferret)
has developed enlarged lymph glands on his neck and behind his
armpits. (His neck fat pads have been there, and were not of concern
on his last vet visit.) Other than when he "crashes," he doesn't have
a balance problem. I noticed that he was having some difficulty with
his front legs this week, and found the swollen glands when I
picked him up to determine what was wrong. They don't feel hard, so
perhaps he has some type of infection...so back to the vet we go.
Still, lymphoma comes to mind as a possiblility for him, since his
blood sugar is under better control, yet he still is clearly
uncomfortable.
Questions:
Other than Daisy's imbalance, did she exhibit any other symptoms of
her lymphoma? (i.e., swollen/hard lymph nodes, etc.?) Or, are all of
her tumors internal?
Why did the vet put her on 0.5 mg prednisolone at first? Was it
thought that she had insulinoma, or was this to treat the lymphoma?
Once the x-rays were done and lymphoma was confirmed, were any other
tests done to find the cause of her imbalance? It seems like a moot
point, but in her weakened state from the cancer, could she also have
something as simple as an inner ear infection that causes her
dizziness? (Rather than the cancer migrating to her brain.)
As far as chemo to treat her lymphoma, it SEEMS like palliative
treatment results in just about the same longevity (for most ferrets)
as chemo does, according to the vet info links on FHL. (I've been
researching the lymphoma links, in advance of taking Sonny in for a
vet visit.) Perhaps if the cancer ISN'T in her brain, and the cause
for her imbalance is found/treated, she could do well for quite some
time on her pred dose, without suffering the ill effects of chemo.
I hope you find the answers you need - all I've provided are more
questions. (I apologize for that.) I hope that Daisy continues to
eat/play as normally as she can!
My thoughts are with you,
- Lisa
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Ulrike" <ferretlove.uk@...>
wrote:
>
> I hope this won't get too long. The ferret is Daisy, 6 years old,
spayed.
> Beginning of April she suddenly started having balance problems,
when
> running she would veer to the right a lot. She was put on
prednisolone, 0.5
> mg bid. After a few weeks she started to compensate for this
veering to the
> right and was able to run pretty straight. Only when she stood
still she
> would lean to the right to the point where she sometimes stumbled.
>
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/