Hello, we are in some desperate need of some advice.  We have a 5 yr old
female that has a large malignant tumor on the root of the mesentery.
Right now outwardly she is doing fairly well, not a lot of weight loss
still a fair amount of energy.  She is rather lethargic a good amount of
the time though.  She did have exploratory surgery two days ago, so she
is recovering from that as well.
 
The tumor is completely inoperable, so the only option is to medically
manage the situation.  Teeka is a small girl and after talking with a
couple of vets, I am not sure that any type of medication that needs to
be given intravenously will be an option.  We are also very skeptical of
using the highly caustic medications like vincristine and the like.
 
What we are interested in is any feedback from people that have gone
through lymphoma with their ferrets and what treatment options you have
chosen.... Given the size of the tumor, her age, and the extremely rapid
onset of the tumor, one of the vets we have spoken to thinks 3 months good
quality of life with prednisolone only treatment would be achievable.  He
stated with the addition of a couple of other chemo medications (not
vincristine) maybe a couple of months longer, with the vincristine added
perhaps longer yet, but with the risk of massive complications.
 
Ok, so please send you feedback, we will listen to anything people have to
say.  We feel like we need to get started with what ever we are going to do
right away given the rapid onset of this... The one thing we know for sure
is that no matter what, we will not let Teeka waste away or suffer.  As
painful as it will be to ultimately help her cross over, we are prepared
(as much as one can be) to make this decision when necessary.
 
Thank You
 
Brett and Missy Lapham
[Posted in FML issue 3527]