Hi everyone,

First, thanks to everybody who wrote with advice and support for Lola.
I'm always so thankful that the FML is here. Unfortunately, Lola's
prognosis is not great. I was able to get her in for surgery on
Tuesday, but after they got her under anaesthesia the vet realized
there was nothing she could do. What we thought was a fluid-filled
abscess is a mass of grossly swollen tissue originating from her vulva.
She couldn't find any pockets of fluid to drain, and she couldn't
remove any of the mass without compromising other structures (it covers
Lola's whole groin and anal area, as well as extending up onto her
abdomen). So, she woke her up and sent her home.

I want to stress that my vet (Deborah Lichtenberg) really knows what
she's doing. She's the vet all the others in the area send their ferret
problems to, and her practice has received awards from NEFFER. She had
never seen a case like this, and said my only other option would be to
take her to Tufts where they'd probably tell me the same thing. We're
trying her on another course of Clavamox to see if any of it has to do
with infection, but otherwise we're at a loss.

What's really breaking my heart is how well Lola is handling all of
this. She eats and drinks, and makes an effort to get to the litter
box although she's not always successful. She tries to get up and walk
around, but is hindered by the nearly egg-sized mass on her rear end.
She wants to cuddle and give kisses more than ever (she's curled up
asleep in my lap as I write this). It broke my heart when the practice
manager said "Oh, you are taking her home?" when I came to pick her up.
He meant, as opposed to euthanizing her right then. So, for now it's
pretty much hospice care. I will care for Lola as long as she's still
happy with her life, which as far as I can tell she is. I love her so
much, and she's been with me for so long. Please keep us in your
thoughts, I'll keep you updated.

Rachel, Lola and Pukka

[Posted in FML 5527]