From:
"Laura"
Date: 2009-02-24 18:00:24 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Bone Cancer, Right Zygomatic Arch - What Can Be Done?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
If you are anywhere near a vet school or referral practice with an
oncologist you may want to ask your vet to refer you for a consult to
see if they have any ideas for treatment. Good luck!
Laura, RVT
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "ktnil" <ktnil@...> wrote:
>
> My Max, who is about 7 or 8 yrs old (he was a rescue), began to
> develop what appeared to be an abscess around one of his upper teeth
> on the right side, back in November '08. My vet didn't think it
looked
> like a typical tooth abscess, so he did some xrays of the skull. The
> pictures showed what appeared to be cancer in the bone in his right
> zygomatic arch, just under his right eye. Max also has insulinoma,
> which is being fairly well controlled w/ pred. My vet put Max on a
> pulse dose of Clavamox (currently 0.3cc 2X/day, 4 days on, 3 days
off
> per wk), to fight any possible secondary infection, due to the
cancer.
> Recently (in the past few wks), I've been applying dental grade
> topical lidocaine (which I got from my dentist) on the affected area
> around that tooth, to help w/ any discomfort he might be having. The
> tooth that's affected is being pushed inwards diagonally, due to the
> bone cancer & it's growth.
>
> This has been going on for 4 months now. Max is naturally very weak,
> but he is eating his soup, drinking, & using the litterbox normally.
> He tries to be enthusiastic about coming out of his cage for
playtime,
> & he's very interested in exploring the house, but he has to stop
> every 30 sec or so to rest. While he does sleep a lot when he's out,
> he's always sure to wake up to greet the other ferrets when they
come
> sniffing around to see him, & most of the time, he'll get up &
follow
> them around, see what they're up to, etc.
>
> My vet & I are both convinced that Max isn't ready to "go" yet. He
> still shows great interest in his surroundings, & he always tries to
> do many of the things he did before all this hit. He almost always
> runs to the cage door to see if it's time to get out, whenever we go
> by the cage.
>
> I know my Max cannot be cured of this, & that he's probably not
going
> to be w/ us for a lot longer. However, I'm curious as to whether
> there's anything else we could be doing for him, or even whether
> there's any "experimental" procedures that could at least make him
> more comfortable for as long as he's able.
>
> I keep "dreaming" that there might be some way to remove the
affected
> bone, & put something else in it's place, so that this at least will
> not continue to spread, & prolong his life a bit longer. My vet says
> the tooth cannot be removed, as it could cause severe damage to the
> diseased bone, & this makes sense to me.
>
> I guess I'm wondering if any of the VETS or others with experience
> or knowledge on this group know of anything else that might be done
> for him. I know this might be easier if it were the lower jaw that
was
> affected, but it's not. Even though this is making him very tired, &
> probably rather uncomfortable (since the one tooth is involved, as
> well as the simple fact that he does have swelling visible on his
face),
> Max is still a very happy boy who seems to *want* to do more, &
> doesn't seem ready to leave us.
>
> Can any of the vets here give me some idea whether there's anything
> else that can be done for him?
>
> Thank you for your time & attention.
>
> Lin, Max, Puck, Ivan, & Mason
> ~ Missing my angel Ariel - 20 April 2000 - 20 January 2007. Wait for
> me, my Baby Girl. I miss you so much. ~
> ~ Missing my Oberon - 4 July 2001 - 5 May 2008 - I love you, my Big
> Silly Boy. Wait for me. ~
> ~ Missing my Madison - ? - 9 September 2008 - Our time was too
short,
> but my love is forever. ~
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
> email me at: kay tee en eye el at double-u owe aich dot ar ar dot
see
> owe em
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
>
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