I tried sending this to your e-mail address and it bounced back so I hope you don't mind that I post this to the FML... Thank you for your kind words regarding Tinder... Unfortunately I have no specific information on lypomas. I know that it is the word to describe "fat" deposits which Tinder had so much of that it was literally choking her internal organs. I am including in this e-mail the necropsy report from one of the vets that saw her. You may want to copy it and take it to your vet to read. I have also included Tinder's history from what I know and the questions that were brought up considering her condition. All are valid and you may want to bring them up with your vet as well. I am presently responding to other people who are now seeing the same thing in their ferrets that Tinder had and now possibly yours too. I am thinking that with the numbers that are cropping up, at least 4 now, maybe 5, that there is indeed something that needs to be looked into. I am thinking that I may have to post something to the FML to get those involved to pool their resources. Other vets on the list may be able to offer assistance. I hope this helps. This report is verbatim and is posted to the FML by permission of Dr. Kent Morley, D.V.M. The hair coat was rough in appearance and the abdomen was greatly distended. The subcutaneous fat pads of the inguinal area were very large. Incision into the abdomen revealed large amounts of adipose tissue surrounding the abdominal organs and no abnormal amounts of fluid. The fat was extensive, filling the abdominal cavity. Along the lumbar area there were areas of adipose tissue approximately 1 cm x 3 cm that appeared dark red and greenish. Samples were taken of these areas and sent to Central Laboratory for Veterinarians for histopathology. The liver, kidneys, stomach, pancreas, large and small intestines and bladder were all identified and appeared to be normal. The adrenal glands were not identified. The thorax was opened and revealed large amounts of adipose tissue. The heart and lungs both appeared normal. Histopathology results revealed the tissue samples to be normal adipose tissue with hemorrhage and scarring. This is (sic) could possible be due to trauma, but occurred before euthanasia as demonstrated by normal scarring. In my professional opinion the results of this post mortem are undiagnostic. Possiblities (sic) range from hormonal and metabolic to dietary abnormalities. - Dr. Kent Morley, D.V.M. Tinder's first problem came to us in the form of snoring. At first I thought it was cute and adorable. It made her easier to find and I would enjoy watching and hearing this little noise she made. At the same time her energy level had dropped off and it became apparent that something was wrong. After doing a thorough check of her body, we found a hard lump under her throat. An x-ray revealed that the lump was responsible for pushing poor Tinder's trachea way over to one side and up causing the airway to be partially blocked and therefore causing the snoring. The lump was removed surgically and the snoring stopped. Tinder was first found to have an unusual grape-like-cluster of a tumor in her neck in October of '97. It didn't take too long after that for Tinder to start putting on weight which, at the time, was a good sign. But by April we could see that the weight gain was not stopping and that is when the vet diagnosed her with kidney failure and that we would have her only a few more weeks. My vet was so sure that this was kidney failure and that her body, which felt full of liquid, was filling will fluid and that there was no reason to put her through a series of test to prove what he felt was the only thing it could be. Upon hearing how sure he was, I agreed with him and said that there was no reason to put her in any more distress. So no blood or other tests were done. She was placed on Lasix. But after 6 months had passed instead of a mere 6 weeks, which was the length of time given her to survive, the kidney failure opinion no longer fit. But unfortunately at this point she was so big that she could not get around comfortably. It was decided by all that we should do the humane thing. We decided that a necropsy would be best to help us understand what had happened to her. It turned out to give us more questions than answers. The vet and I discussed at length the possibilities of what could have been the cause. Diet: no different than our other ferrets, but it is a given that her body may have processed her food differently. Iams, Science Diet, Eukanuba, raisins, linatone, fruit, licorice. Treats and linatone given in moderation. She was an adoptee from a local shelter and I have no history on her prior to my adoption. She was about 1 year old when we got her. She was about four when we had her euthanized. Was this condition linked to her previous surgery and that the removal of the grape-like cluster started the growth of the lypomas? As for the hematoma, it could have come from a fall off the bed and landing wrong. Maybe the male ferrets were too rough with her. My husband thinks that he may have stepped on her one night on a trip to the bathroom but he said that as soon as his foot made contact with her that his foot was off her. We have no clue. As for removal of the fat prior to the euthanasia we have no idea if the fat would have come back or not. So many questions... so little answers. I hope this helps you and would be interested to hear what you can find out to help your little guy. My thoughts are with you. Good luck. Betty and Her Blur O'Fur [Posted in FML issue 2930]