>It's me again, with my 7 y.o. ferret who only eats Meow Mix.  (I've had
>no success weaning in the good stuff, so I figure, he's 7, why bother?)
>
>I noticed today that Max has a lump on his tail, down toward the end.  It
>feels like a hard round ball, about pea-sized.  Is this a chordoma?  Does
>it need to be removed?  Is it cancerous?  What else could it be?
 
Dear Amy and Dave:
 
99% chance that it is a chordoma - end of the tail, hard - looks like the
ferret wants to hit a big bass drum with it?  It's a chordoma.
 
While these tumors are malignant, at the end of the tail, amputation is an
excellent treatment mode, and should take care of the problem.  Chordomas
are only really bad when they arise in other parts of the spine - end of
the tail is the best place to have them, if you've got to have them.
 
More info at www.afip.org/ferrets on chordomas.
 
With kindest regards,
bruce williams, dVM
[Posted in FML issue 3511]