>My baby Zen has had a "scab" on her side for a while, .... She was at the
>vet a while back and I had her check it out .  She said it was probably
>nothing but if it doesn't go away, to take her back and they'll look at it
>again.
 
From your description it sounds like a Mast Cell Tumor, which are almost
always benign, and very common in ferrets.  If the vet knows what she is
doing, she'll remove it and some of the tissue under it, and it should not
reappear.
 
I'm not a vet, so can't really comment on the anesthesia.  Ketamine is
described in Hillyer's "Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents; Clinical Medicine and
Surgery" as a "chemical restraint" and is commonly used in ferrets for minor
procedures.  It apparently doesn't relax the muscles very well and does
cause excessive salivation.  It is sometimes used in combination with a
tranquilizer such as xylazine, diaze-pam or acepromazine.  It is said to be
relatively safe for use in ferrets.
 
I see a few possible "warning" signs in your post.  I'm wondering if she
recognized the tumor as a possible Mast Cell tumor.  Could be she did and
didn't want to "talk technical" to you; or could be she hadn't a clue; or
could be she doesn't think it is Mast Cell.  The other sign is that she
didn't recognize "ECE." Those may not mean a thing, but if you're
uncomfortable with her, why not find another vet?
 
Dick B.  -  definitely not a vet
[Posted in FML issue 2354]