Hi.  I haven't been on the FML for a while, as I was unable to keep up with
the volume of mail, but I have a crisis situation and could use some
information.  I always felt this list was a great resource, so I'm back
with here with my questions.
 
My beautiful four year old male ferret, Zen, was diagnosed with
lymphosarcoma yesterday.  He had very few symptoms.  I took him into the
vet because he was refusing to eat and was sluggish.  The doc checked for
insulinomas with blood work, which was normal.  So she did x-rays to check
for an intestinal blockage.  The x-rays showed a mass in the upper half of
his lungs.  She aspirated his lungs to try to get cells from the mass to
examine, but was unable to gather any.  According to the doc, there's very
little else that this could be but lymphosarcoma.
 
I don't really know very much about this cancer, but the doc seems to have
given up on him getting any better.  She says his prognosis is poor.  I'm
not willing to accept this lying down.  I'd appreciate any pointers that I
could get towards information on the disease.
 
I've heard really great things about the use of mega doses of vitamins in
the treatment of cancer in humans.  Does anyone have any information on
alternate treatment methods for cancer in pets?  I'm searching for a
holistic vet in my area, but the more info I have to work with the better.
I'd also really appreciate any information I could get about ferret vitamin
requirements.  I want to be sure that I'm definitely meeting all his needs.
I'd like to supplement him with extra vitamin C, A, and E.  I've heard that
cats can't process beta carotene the way humans can; is this also true of
ferrets?  Are mixed tocopherols better than d-alpha?  What are the best
forms of these vitamins to use?  I also want to find him a good trace
mineral powder.  Can anyone recommend one?  I'd love to hear from people
who are feeding raw foods to compare recipes.  I'd been trying to switch my
furkids to raw food, without success before this was diagnosed.  But since
I'm having to force feed right now, I want to feed him the absolute best
food.
 
I'm also interested in using herbs to counteract the cancer.  I've heard
that garlic does wonderful things for the human immune system.  Does anyone
know if ferrets can eat garlic?  Since I'm force feeding I can add just
about anything to his food if it will help him.
 
Any help that I could get could be a life saver.  I got the impression from
the vet that she doesn't give him good odds, so I want to move fast to
counteract this.  I'm mainly looking to talk to people who use holistic
health care for their ferrets and those who have had any measure of success
combating lymphosarcoma.  I want to get as many ideas for treatment as I
can so I can make informed decisions about how to treat this and bring my
furkid back to health.  In the meantime, I'll give him good food, lots of
love and attention and hope that I can find him some help.
 
Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
--
Serena Renee Cissell
faded skies~*~www.visi.com/~starla/
"Any idiot can face a crisis -
it's this day-to-day living that wears you out." -Anton Chekhov
[Posted in FML issue 2855]