From:
"Christine Fixico"
Date: 2009-05-04 03:01:34 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Lymphoma?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I have an approximately 4 year old spayed female ferret, Sunni. When I first acquired Sunni around a year ago she was slender and active. She has been that way up until just a few weeks ago. I noticed her abdomen beginning to increase in size. Hoping she was just eating too much, I took her in. The vet noticed she had some swollen lymph nodes in a couple of areas. Blood work showed nothing remarkable except slightly low potassium. Radiographs showed a lot of abdominal fat, enlarged spleen, and *possibly* an abdominal mass. Ultrasound has been recommended and is being scheduled.
Behaviorally, she is no longer very active but she seems bright and alert--not exactly lethargic but she is just getting too big to move fast. Every time we let her out--the first thing she does is go and eat (even though she has food available to her in her cage as well). Tonight I noticed that the neck lymph nodes seem enlarged.
Does this sound like lymphoma? I have had ferrets with lymphoma before and, by the time they show symptoms like this, they aren't as bright as she is. The swollen lymph nodes are a huge concern but I know that's not the only thing we need to look at. Could she be developing fat deposits? What confuses me is that she seems so hungry all the time and I've never experienced this with any of my ferrets. She wasn't like this before. Are endocrine problems a possibility? I have also never heard of that really in ferrets. My thoughts now include lymph node biopsy, abdominal exploratory and/or just trying to control her caloric intake (not going to be easy in a house full of ferrets).
Any thoughts would be appreciated...
Christine and Sunni
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