I read that it's said the protocol usually has no effect if a ferret
has already been on Pred; however, I sucessfully got a ferret to go
into remission with Tufts protocol who was already on Prednisone, we
just stopped giving it to her the day she started chemo. I know we
were one of the lucky ones.

As an owner who has had nearly all of my personal (and rescue ferrets)
pass away of lymphoma as opposed to any other disease, I am not
surprised by your numbers.

Also I wonder if you have noticed the difference between ones that can
be saved with Tufts and those who don't have a chance - my little boy
Data started getting ill, and we thought he was just depressed after
having his adrenal surgery and not eating. So we fed him by hand and
gave him some love and waited the week until the vet was going to be
able to see him (he was "out"). He ended up having lymphoma, although
there was no telltale tumor. Upon the vet finding it, I palpated it and
it was perhaps the size of a grain of rice, deep inside his abdomen.

All of my previous encounters with lymphoma have had either a ping-pong
sized tumor grown overnight (in various areas - the removable kind near
the armpit, and the unremovable one in the intestines). I have found
that if the lymphoma is in the abdomen, Tufts will not help. Have you
had any success with intestinal or abdominal tumors being stopped by
the Tufts protocol? Data was thought to be too far gone for us to try
it with him. He was also dehydrated no matter what we did - something
about lymphoma in the abdomen, I've noticed it is almost impossible to
keep them hydrated and the ferret needs to be put to sleep in a few
days. I've tried both SQ saline and LRS. Basically - the ferrets who
have tumors in the abdomen have been unsaveable for me, as they usually
have to be put to sleep or have passed on before we can even get the
protocol drugs ready.

At what health point does a ferret need to be at to start the protocol?
I was told that with Data being so weak (he was recieving fluids every
other hour, but had some good weight to him - we made sure he was being
fed every other hour as well)....I was told Tufts would probably kill
him, and I was on the fence, 50/50 - he had fluid accumulating in his
abdomen. I wonder now if I should have just tried it, I have heard
differing accounts from people about Tufts used on ferrets in his
condition. He had very, very strong vitals and he was only three. I
feel like I made the wrong decision, but after a week of trying to have
him keep on living, force feeding him, watching how miserable he felt,
having to have more and more fluids given to him - I think I would have
also been devasted to make his life even MORE painful by adding chemo
drugs and making him feel awful if it didn't work, and possibly passing
away in anguish.

I am sure I will encounter this situation again, so any insight or
trends you have noticed would be a huge help to me and I am sure,
other ferret owners struggling to make these decisions.

Thank you sincerely,
Laryssa

[Posted in FML 5934]