Hello!
Here is an update on the strange red bump that I noticed on Archie's head,
and, by the way, she could have had it for over a month before I noticed it
because it would have been hidden by her fur, as it is again now.
The vet palpated it and then scraped it and pressed her little head to a
slide, which was then sent out for testing. It came back confirming "mast
cell tumor". Having already read the FAQ on skin tumors before bringing
her (thank you, Pam Greene) I was already suspecting this.
Okay, so anyway, Archie will have the tumor surgically removed this
Thursday, Sept 10. (A week before my human daughter is having a large bone
graft on her femur! Lots of fun at this house!) The way the vet phrased it
was that she needed a biopsy and the margins need to be removed.
Thank you, Kate, for your encouraging words, and I hope Poga is doing well!
Just a thought... although of course I play with and cuddle Rustle and
Archie every day, I don't see well enough to warrant looking through their
thick, fluffy fur to find these tumors. The only way I saw this was that
her head was wet. Since I am a fanatic about changing their hammocks and
piles of blankets and towels frequently, and don't find it "necessary" to
bathe them very often (they are very affronted when they do get baths), I
am at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to spotting skin problems. So
maybe there should be a new "rule" regarding baths. Ferrets, if your human
is farsighted, you should encourage her/him to bathe you often so that
she/he can get a good look at your skin frequently. Or farsighted humans,
perhaps you should regularly "ferretone" the ferrets' tummies so you can
do a thorough skin exam on a cooperative fuzzy. Or does everyone do this
already and I am just the last to figure it out?
In closing, I send my sympathy to all those who have lost their ferrets.....
while I don't usually send letters about this, I do think of you, and of all
the sick little ones written about on the list, too.... and I am sure that
there are many of us who mainly lurk who nonetheless hold you all in our
thoughts and prayers.
Jennifer
[Posted in FML issue 2422]
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