Dear Laurel:
 
>I have a five year old female with a cyst under her jaw.  It was drained
>two weeks ago and the fluid was clear.  The vet gave her a clean bill of
>health after a check-up and sent her on her way.  She was on albon for
>ten days.  The cyst has come back and I think she is listless and with
>not as good of an appetite as she used to have.  There are no really
>ferret knowledgeable vets in this area although they do the best they
>can.  What is my next step?
 
Although you don't mention the size of the cyst, the fact that it had to be
drained suggests that it was not trivial.  At that site, the first thing
that I would consider is a sialocele - a ruptured salivary duct, with
accumulation of saliva into the tissues.  In these cases, draining the
saliva just obviates the symptoms temporarily.
 
Your next step is to find a good surgeon in your area.  A good surgeon is
often a good anesthetist, and in the absence of a good ferret vet - at
least you have the best substitute.  The idea is to have the cyst
surgically removed.  A good surgeon will be familiar with sialoceles and
how to remove them.  Sialoceles are easiest to remove early after
development - over time they tend to become surrounded with scar tissue
and the possibility of finding and ligating the duct decreases markedly.
Eventually these lesions become chronic and may require weekly drainage,
placement of a drain, and can be a real mess.
 
Plus the fact that it may be interfering with appetitie - let's get to
work on getting this cyst removed.  I would be interested in taking a look
at the tissue if you can get it removed.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM
[Posted in FML issue 3264]