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]