Gary,
On reading your post on Jeronimo--
It would seem that there is something which is causing physical distress in
your ferret.  The large lumps you explained could be the spleen or it could
be nodes-- your vet perhaps is not familiar with ferret medicine.  This
might be a good time to research the FAQ's and take them in to him/her, or
seek out a more knowledgeable vet.  No slam intended, just an option.
 
If this indeed is a "bad" spleen-- I encourage you to have pathology done to
determine the cause of the irritation to the spleen.  It will tell you
whether a prolonged systemic infection caused the condition, or whether you
are dealing with lymphoma.  In either case the longer you wait, the poorer
the chance of Jeronimo having a full recovery.
 
If the spleen is enlarged due to an infection-- then I encourage you to have
your vet help and investigate the cause-- otherwise the ferret will just
have one less symptom, and you will find your ferret displaying signs of
illness again.  We have experienced this at the shelter before-- and only
after finding the source of infection did the ferret gain it's health back!
 
If the biopsy / pathology shows lymphoma-- then you have options for
treatment.
 
I hope this helps -- wishing Jeronimo a speedy recovery.
 
Alicia
a shelter Mom
[Posted in FML issue 2274]