I brought my five year old Jill to the doctor on January 31st along with
three other ferrets to be checked for the second time after coming down
with the flu.  I have eighteen ferrets all together.  During the exam Dr.
Smith found a large mass on Jill so he suggested shooting an x-ray.  What
he found was her kidney swollen six times its size.  The next day Jill
went in for surgery and her kidney was removed.  I brought Jill home the
day of surgery to my intensive care unit (my closet) where she stayed for
five days.  Jill was the perfect patient taking her Clavamox without a
fight, and eating her duck soup twice a day.
 
Dr. Smith said he found where there must have been a blockage going from
the kidney to the bladder causing the urine to back up and shutting the
kidney down.  Dr. Smith has no idea if it happened a week ago or months
ago, but I was very lucky to have chosen her as one of the ferrets to be
brought into his office that day.
 
Has anyone else heard of this?  And do you know what the prognosis would
be after a surgery like this?  Even looking back I can't see anything
that would suggest there was a problem.
 
Thanks for you help,
 
Carol Voivedich Rager
Big Jill, Pacey, Newman, Stewart, Lil Jill, Marley Bug, Loki, Lexi,
Dinks, Scottie, Sherman, Logan, Spencer, Fritz, Baxter, Rickie, Callie
and Samson
 
Missing: Duckie, Jack, Elle Mae, Bailey, Sweet Lilly, Farrah and Special
Jeffrey
[Posted in FML issue 4783]