>I have a 7 year old ferret with advanced cardio.  Obviously not a
>surgical candidate.  He has developed a rather large (approx. 1 cm)
>Mast Cell on the back of his neck.  Is there a treatment besides
>surgery that will reduce or control it?
 
Unfortunately, surgery is the only way to really "control" it.  However
there are a couple of points to make -
 
1. These are benign neoplasms which in a pinch, can be left untouched.  I
don't recommend it, but in cases of cardiomyopathy, even the stress of a
local anesthetic may be enough to cause him to decompensate.
 
2. You can try a steroid/antibiotic cream in case some of the size is due
to inflammation - it may decrease the size and irritation a little, but
it's nowhere close to surgery in terms of benefit.
 
3. Ferret mast cell tumors do not have the histamine that dog neoplasms
do.  This is perhaps why we do not see the systemic problems in ferrets,
like duodenal ulcers in ferrets with mast cells tumors as we see in dogs.
While no one has done any work in ferrets with histamine blockers, I
strongly doubt that they would have any effect here.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
 
[Sukie note: do always ask your vet which types of creams are best and
safest beforehand -- that came up in a earlier post so consider it
attached.]
[Posted in FML issue 3691]