Hi Pamela
I'm sorry to hear about your ferret Io... I've lost my Angel and Igor to
pancreatic cancer. They both had a lot of fluid (blood stained fluid)
in their abdomen. With Angel, she had an aggressive pancreatic
adenocarcinoma, it killed her in 1 1/2 months... From first getting a big
tummy to being put to sleep. I had all tests done on her and no diagnosis.
Diuretics didn't help at all and in the end her tummy was huge while the
rest of her was skin and bones... She was my special ferret, I kept her
going too long but I could not bare the thought of loosing her. The post
mortem revealed that her whole body was full of tumours. All organs,
intestines, lungs and heart had tumours, some were big, some were small.
They were very fragile tumours and my vet said they crumbled in his hands
as he touched them, he'd never seen anything like it and didn't know how
Angel had still been alive... The post mortem report said it was likely
to be pancreatic adenocarcinoma but they weren't 100% sure, I don't think,
maybe it could have been lymphoma? I don't know if the vet took samples
of the lymph nodes but I think he would have.
With Igor, he survived 4 1/2 months. He had a lot of fluid and the post
mortem revealed that his pancreas was one big tumour. Parts of the
pancreas or the tumour had calcified. Some tumours had spread to the
liver. My vet wrote in the post mortem report that he had a golf ball
sized pancreatic tumour and secondary spread to the liver with multiple
neoplastic lesions. I don't think she had a look at the lymph nodes and
unfortunately she didn't send samples off to the lab even though I wanted
her to but I guess because I didn't say, she didn't dend anything off...
But that's my experience with fluid in the abdomen. Liver cancer can
cause fluid and so can lymphoma. I'd be interested to hear what cortisone
injection your vet gave to Io and why and what dose. Just in case I come
across fluid in the tummy again so I can try it out, if you say it helped
Io... As I said, diuretics didn't help my guys and I'd be happy if
cortisone was of help, then I could try it out next time, I wish there
wasn't a next time but just in case there is...
Best wishes from
Ulrike
and Jilly, Jack, Bella, Tom, Mason, Baby, Dana, Fox, Reno, Rose, Jasmine,
Barney and Spike
Missing Angel, Hope and Igor
West Wales Ferret Welfare
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.ferretlove.freeserve.co.uk
Last update 05/02/01
[Posted in FML issue 3336]
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