From:
Chelsey Baker-Hauck
Date: 2010-02-01 18:43:23 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Lymphoma of stomach
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I'm dealing with this now in my 6 1/2-year-old Zuzy, who has had
inflammatory bowel disease for the past two years and has been treated
with prednisolone for the past 6 months when the condition was no
longer managed effectively with diet and holistic treatment alone.
The only sign of an acute new problem initially was a slight weight
loss in December. On exam, all was normal with no enlarged nodes, and
blood work was all normal. Days later, she began vomiting and stool
consistency worsened (mucousy, smelly). Re-examination showed enlarged
mesenteric nodes. We did an ultrasound, which showed clearly cancerous
nodes and a thickening in the stomach, as well as some free fluid in
the abdomen. The vet and radiographer felt certain of a lymphoma
diagnosis even without biopsy; I decided against the biopsy since it
wouldn't change our treatment plan in this case. The docs
characterized her cancer as moderately advanced, with no apparent
liver, spleen or kidney involvement. We consulted with an oncologist,
who felt Zuzy was a good candidate for chemotherapy to slow the cancer
and extend life (no expectation for remission or cure).
We increased her prednisolone dose and added carafate; her vomiting
resolved almost immediately, her stool reverted to normal and she
gained back lost weight. In all, she seemed like a perfectly well
ferret with high energy and great appetite. Once she'd stabilized, we
started an oral course of Cytoxan chemo; the first course was three
doses over three days, administered at home. There is a two-week wait
until the second dose. We did bloodwork in advance of the second
course (which she's due to start today), and all was normal. However,
a week ago the vomiting, diarrhea and anorexia pattern started up
again (1 week after the chemo). We have again increased the
prednisolone dose, and again we've seen immediate improvement. Side
effects for this chemo regimen are supposedly rare, and if they occur,
usually appear within 72 hours. Our assumption is that the vomiting
cycle is a result of the cancer advancing, not the chemo. If all goes
well after the second round of treatment, she'll get a final chemo
round in another two weeks--then just the prednisolone on an ongoing.
We are now exactly one month out from diagnosis and the start of
obvious new cancer-related symptoms. Prior, her symptoms were all
entirely consistent with IBD, and blood work has always remained
completely normal.
Chelsey
--- On Sat, 1/30/10, Jeff <inner.harmony> wrote:
What would be the signs or symptoms of lymphoma of the stomach or
intestines? What about symptoms of a severe viral infection of the
stomach or intestines?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
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:
ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
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/