From:
"Tressie"
Date: 2009-05-04 16:12:11 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Lymphoma?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi Christine,
I've lost 2 ferrets recently to lymphosarcoma and one to juvenile lymphosarcoma. The one with juvenile lymphosarcoma lost her appetite but the other 2 did not and both had voraocious appetites until the end. The sicker they got, the more they ate. Quite the opposite of what I had always been told.
Necropsies performed showed that their food wasn't moving very well through the digestive system - both had stomachs and intestines packed with food hours after eating even though they were eliminating normally. Consequently the stomachs themselves were also horribly distended. Necropsies also showed that the pyloric valves were restricted due to tumor growths. The conclusion was because they weren't efficiently digesting or assimilating what they ate ironically they were starving and kept eating more.
All three had noticeably enlarged abdomens. The one with the juvenile strain you could see the outline of the mass and her abdomen was hard. With the other two they just looked like they had swallowed balloons, which kept increasing in girth.
Both my vets do not recommend putting a ferret on a diet even if overweight because it is almost impossible for them to get their nutritional needs met with a restricted diet. The weight gain should be the least of your worries.
I have one gib who is 4 1/2 lbs. and I was also stressing about how big he was getting. And I simply cannot get him to be more active. He's had a lot of health issues from when he first came in. My personal vet and the one we consult with advised me that he probably had a slower metabolism and to stop worrying about how fat he was but just to be grateful he wasn't seriously ill any longer.
Until you know what you are dealing with I would not change or limit her food intake without consulting with a knowledgeable veterinarian.
I have had ferrets both with fat pads on their necks and ones with lymph node swelling. The fat pads are thick and squishy, and literally resemble 'pads' whereas the lymph node swellings consistent with lymphoma are like round hard marbles.
Does she have swelling in any of her other peripheral lymph nodes?
Abdominal swelling can also be associated with heart disease and ascites. I am assuming your vet has ruled out both.
Tressie
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Christine Fixico" <moogirl@...> wrote:
>
> I have an approximately 4 year old spayed female ferret, Sunni. ... Radiographs showed a lot of abdominal fat, enlarged spleen, and *possibly* an abdominal mass. .. 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? > Any thoughts would be appreciated...
>
> Christine and Sunni
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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