Hi Bacci and his dad,
 
One of our 2 ferret girls, Bear, 7 years, 8 months old, has lymphoma
(currently in remission).  We discovered it in July 2002 -- her symptoms
were swollen lymph nodes near her bottom and severe, fairly rapid weight
loss (went from 1 3/4 to 2lbs to barely over a pound in weight in about 3
weeks).  Our original vet told us there was nothing to be done, and that
we should just take her home and keep her comfortable until she died.  We
were unwilling to accept her solution, and demanded to be referred out to
a specialist.  We then took Bear to a veterinary oncologist, who offered
us several treatment options (pred only, pred + chemo (oral chemo or
injection via a port), and radiation).  We chose to go with pred and oral
chemo, and it has made all the difference.  Bear gets pred and cytoxan,
which our local compounding pharmacy compounds in ferretone, so she takes
her meds readily.  We noticed significant shrinkage of the lymphs nodes
in about 2 months time, and now there is no swelling at all.  We have had
3 ultrasounds done to date in addition to her regular check-up exams and
bloodwork draws, and she is currently in remission.  The chemo did not
make her sick -- it only slows her down a bit during the cycle time she
is on it (currently the four days on, 4 weeks off) but within a few days
she is back to normal.
 
Our new regular vet (who is very experieced with ferrets) tells us that
with just pred, she has seen ferrets live with lymphosarcoma, with good
quality of life, for a long time (I *think* she said between 6 and 9
months is normal, but has seen them live longer than that).
 
On the weight loss issue, our vet suggested we try Hill's A/D with our
Bear.  It worked, with good, fast results.  She seemed to enjoy the taste
of it (warmed slightly in the microwave) and it made a big difference in
putting weight back on her quickly.
 
Read as much as you can to educate yourself about your options, and don't
give up.  Our oncologist and new ferret vet will do phone consults with
other vets and concerned owners (we have asked them about this for other
friends with sick ferrets).  We go to Florida Veterinary Specialists in
Tampa, FL, and our doctors there are Teresa Lightfoot (exotic animals
vet) and Amy Hipple (veterinary oncology).  I don't know what we would do
without them both.  They work together on our ferret's health, and are
both very knowledgable and willing to answer our many, many questions
readily in terms we can undertand.
 
I wish you all the best in dealing with this illness.  It is not easy --
for your fur kid or for you -- but with persistence, good vet care and
some good fortune your ferret can still enjoy life for a while longer.
 
Best,
Michelle and her two fuzzbeans (Bear and Cheshire, the 8 1/2 yr. old
grande dame of the household)
[Posted in FML issue 4082]