>From:    Aaron Watson <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: 4ms to 1yr
>
>Well, I just got the worst possible news.  Our male ferret of 5 years
>probably has cancer of the spleen.  The vet said they could try invasive
>surgery in the next week or so but if successful it would only give him
>another year.  Right now he thinks maybe 4-6 months by the size of the
>swelling.  You can actually feel it in him.
 
Enlarged spleens in older ferrets is not that unusual and certainly
doesn't always mean cancer.  Not that it's not possible, but unless a
biopsy was performed to confirm this diagnosis, I wouldn't jump to
conclusions.  Enlarged spleens can result from other illnesses or really
for no solid reason at all.  And, they can live quite well without a
spleen, so if it is cancerous and it hasn't spread beyond the spleen,
removal of the spleen would probably be curative.
 
I'm having a hard time remembering if any one of my older ferrets in the
past didn't have an enlarged spleen.  Right now, Spaz, who is going on 6,
has an a slightly enlarged spleen that I can feel.  Penny, who will be 5
in December does not.
 
For the ferrets,
Mike
 
* Michael Janke, [log in to unmask]
* South Florida Ferret Help Line, 305-752-7040
*
* Website:  http://www.miamiferret.org
* Adrenal/Insulinoma web site: http://www.ferrethealth.info
*
* Ferret Health List: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
[Posted in FML issue 3925]