> Date:   Fri, 4 Jun 1993 17:59:51 -0400
> From:   [log in to unmask] (Clare Sebok)
> Subject: vaccine reactions; enlarged lymph glands
>
> Last week I took Ben and Jerry (age 3.5)  to the vet for their annual
> exam and vaccinations.  Dr. Stacey Di Maria said that Ben has some enlarged
> lymph nodes and should be reexamined in a month.  I am very concerned
> about this because I have read about ferrets with lymphosarcoma.  I
> would appreciate some information on how this disease is diagnosed and
> treated in ferrets. What is the likelihood that enlarged lymph
> nodes are from a benign cause?  If it does turn out to be lymphosarcoma,
> what is the prognosis?
 
Clare,
 
Enlarged lymph nodes ARE a symptom of lymphosarcoma.  I don't know of
other causes of enlarged lymph nodes, but don't take that as gospel.  My
ferret Bandit (now 5) was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma last February.  The
preliminary diagnosis was based on the fact that he had enlarged lymph
nodes, an extremely enlarged liver and spleen, weight loss and severe
lethargy.  The confirming diagnosis was based on biopsies done at the
Animal Medical Center in NYC.
 
Does Ben show any other unusual symptoms or changes in behavior, such as
any of the above?  Did you talk to your vet about lympho?  Personally, I
would feel more comfortable with a second opinion. Lympho can be treated
with chemotherapy, and ferrets respond very well to it.  Bandit, in fact,
had it for a year and is now in remission.  There are at least a couple of
lympho protocols out there; we took Bandit to Dr. Ann Jeglum, who
developed one of those protocols, a 5-week rotation of L-aspariginase,
Vincristine, Cytoxan, Vincristine, and Methotrexate.  Have your vet call
her at 215-692-5744; she's in West Chester, PA.  If it DOES turn out to be
lympho, the sooner it's treated, the better the prognosis.
 
> Also, Ben and Jerry both vomited several times after their shots. (They
> got rabies and distemper shots.)  I stayed at the veterinary clinic for
> about an hour until they stabilized.  Jerry, who had the strongest reaction,
> was given an antihistamine shot.  Has anyone else seen this happen to
> their ferrets?  Any theories about why this happened and how it could
> be prevented next time?
 
This happened to my ferret Molly (4-1/2) when she got her boosters this
year.  None of our others had this reaction (Bandit did not get these
shots, as he was still on chemo at the time).  She began vomiting within 5
minutes of the second shot, and didn't stop until given an antihistamine
shot.  She slept for the rest of the night, but was fine the next day.
I've heard that some ferrets have reacted this way to the Fervac-D
distemper shot; Molly, however, had the Solvay Fromm-D shot, so I don't
know what really caused her reaction.  She's had the Fromm-D for 3 years,
and the Imrab rabies vaccine for the same length of time.  In future, I've
been advised to have the rabies and distemper shots given at different
times rather than together.
 
I hope this helps.
 
Katie, Jeff, Bandit, Molly, Charlie, Pogo & Sigmund
---------------------
Katie Fritz
Small Mammals Section Leader/CompuServe Pets Forum
Internet: [log in to unmask]  CIS: 71257,3153
 
[Posted in FML issue 0488]