Cooper, our male shelter-ferret will be going in for
surgery tomorrow.  He has a large (plum sized) mass
in his abdomen which is presumed to be an adrenal
tumor.  We figure, that this tumor, among other things
is producing estrogen, as Cooper has developed nipples,
and our girls don't show them at all.  He's also got
a subcutaneous mass at the base of his tail which will
be removed.
 
As some of you may recall, when we first got Coop we
were led to beleive that he was 3, then we did some quick
math and figured out that the vet estimated age three when
he was brought to the shelter, and then spent about 14 months
there, so he was a little past 4 when we got him.  Our NEW
vet, just estimated (using the teeth test - if Fara doesn't
object, I'll type it in, as I've only seen it in WHM) his
age at five going on six. She says that Cooper should have
another 2 or three good active healthy years after recovery,
with the possibility of chemotherapy after the operation.
 
As for his tendency to whomp on the girls, he's not grown out
of it, so we've chalked this up to ONLY-FERRET-SYNDROME and
provide seperate play times for he and the girls.
 
 
Ferret Fun Day at Licking County Park (in Ohio, near, but not too near
Columbus) is comingup on the 28th.  I suppose it would be intelligent
of me to have all the info in front of me when I write about it, but
email me for the info if you are interested. I promise I'll remember the
info tomorrow, and post it on more time.
 
 
lenny.
--
Len Jaffe -       Consulting Engineer        - UNIFY Corporation
On assignment at the DLA in Columbus, OH
[log in to unmask]     All Conceivable Disclaimers Apply
Just Another Hack Perler                   Legalize Ferrets Now!
                                                                          
[Posted in FML 0181]