Hi, all, me again. <g>   I need some advice and stories from folks who've
gone through it about the risks of surgery -- albeit minor -- in a ferret
with cardiomyopathy.  My little Gabrielle (yep, the same little monster
I recently posted about concerning her eating of everything, edible or
not :P) has a probable mast cell tumor on her tail.  The vet has been very
much in favor of taking it off and is concerned about the possibility of
malignancy -- he says that in dogs mast cell tumors are often malignant,
however I know that this is not the case in ferrets.
 
Gab has mild cardiomyopathy that is kept under control with lasix,
digitalis, and enacard.  She was diagnosed in August and we were told she
might be dead by now, but she is still her usual rambunctious self.  You
would *never* know she has a heart condition by the way she acts and seems
to feel, and since the addition of the digitalis she no longer has any
audible murmur, either.
 
I decided to wait and re-evaluate the tumor in a month.  We measured it,
and we are going to see if it has grown any.  I am very reluctant to
jeapordize Gab's health with a surgical procedure unless it is really
necessary.  Can anyone give me some advice?
 
-Tasha
[Posted in FML issue 2984]