It is possible that my chronically sick 18 month old ferret is suffering from this cancer. The only way to confirm it is by taking a sample of the digestive tract wall, which in itself is dangerous to him; the sample is taken, the tract stitched up BUT the accompanying swelling may cause a blockage in the tract. If this proves to be positive (and the ferret has survived the op) then what? chemotherapy with a prognosis of what life expectancy and what quality of life for him? When he's on steroids he gains weight and is absolutely happy and playful; without them he loses 300g over a week and sleeps almost constantly. I don't have any problem with euthanasia but I want to ensure that we've explored every avenue first as this is an extraordinary ferret who loves everyone, is extremely playful and is completely safe with children - the only thing he's ever bitten is a dog's nose who got a little too close for comfort. Even when I'm stuffing tablets down his throat he doesn't bite!
2007-12-01 05:27:56 · 3 answers · asked by rooibost 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
There is a form of that called 'juvenile lymphosarcoma' which hits ferrets under 14 months. What exactly are his symptoms when he's sick? I'm not a vet, but I'm curious about his other symptoms, because it could be possible that he's chronically sick because he hasn't yet been properly diagnosed. Again, I'm not a vet, but curious about his symptoms and what illnesses he has been treated for.
As for treatments and chemo - chemo can prolong a ferret's life anywhere from 6 months to 3 years, but there's really no set standard. And some ferrets aren't good chemo candidates. You really need to talk to your vet about all the possible treatment options for your specific ferret.
I recommend seeing another vet if at all possible, just for a second opinion. Unfortunately, there's a lot of vets out there that see ferrets, but don't really know them as well as they should.
Good luck with your little guy!
2007-12-01 16:40:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lymphosarcoma is usually diagnosed with a biopsy of an enlarged lymph node. How long has he been sick? Lymphosarcoma will initially respond to pred therapy, but not for more than 4-6 weeks. Are you seeing an experienced ferret vet? Has complete bloodwork been done? Here is a website that gives great detail on this disease, as well as treatment options.
http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/med/lymph.html#williams
2007-12-01 13:38:51 · answer #2 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The following site may be some use to you.
www.afip.org/ferrets/lsa.html
2007-12-01 14:37:52 · answer #3 · answered by Gender Bender 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋