>From: Kathy Maxwell
>Subject: Bumps on Foreskin
>Our little Appollo, a 1.5 year old male sable, neutered and descented, has
>little bumps around the foreskin area of his penis.  Sometimes these bumps
>seem to decrease/get smaller, almost as if it is going away then they come
>back again, but they never get bigger.  Our vet and I have put it down to
>a localized allergy/irritation, as everything else is completely normal.
>He is urinating normally no straining, not licking or trying to scratch
>the area, is showing no signs of it bothering him, and are not present
>anywhere else on his body.  We have no carpet in their play area.  Our
>vet also checked his penis and that is normal as well.  Any thoughts on
>this would be greatly appreciated.
 
Dear Cathy -
 
Little bumps on te area os the prepuce of the ferret are generally cystic
scent glands.  The prepuce in males is one of the points of concentration
of these glans, as well as the head and neck,and the vulva of females.  If
they get very dilated, you may see little blue or black dots at that site.
If you feel a discrete tumor, lets get it removed ASAP, as tumors on the
prepuce can be very malignant.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams dVM, DACVP
[Posted in FML issue 3196]