>My 5 year old male has a growth on the side of his face (near where the
>whiskers grow out).  Over the last few weeks it was a small, round pink
>bump.  It has grown somewhat and is now about the size of 1/3 of a pencil
>eraser.  It has also changed color from pinkish to dark red/rust color.
>
>The vet who looked at him about a week ago (before it changed color)
>didn't seem that concerned given the fact he was having bigger problems
>like possible stomach ulcers and weight loss.  Those other symptoms have
>improved and he's gaining weight, but this bump thing hasn't gone away.
>
>He has had mast cell tumors in the past, on his back mainly, which got red
>and sometimes bled, then fell off.  He's never needed any surgery.
>
>Are most growths on the body benign?  Can I expect that this will just go
>away with time?
>
>The good news is, it doesn't seem to bother him, he doesn't scratch at
>it, and he doesn't react if I touch his face.  I don't think it hurts him
>at all.
 
Dear X:
 
Remember that a picture is worth a thousand words!  But, this does sound
very much like a sebaceous epithelioma, the most common benign tumor of
ferret skin.  (There are some pictures in the file section of some rather
large sebaceous epitheliomas.)  While they are benign, they can extremely
rarely give rise to malignant tumors, so eventually, we need to have this
removed.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP
 
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[Posted in FML issue 3472]