>From: Aaron Watson <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: 4ms to 1yr > >Well, I just got the worst possible news. Our male ferret of 5 years >probably has cancer of the spleen. The vet said they could try invasive >surgery in the next week or so but if successful it would only give him >another year. Right now he thinks maybe 4-6 months by the size of the >swelling. You can actually feel it in him. Enlarged spleens in older ferrets is not that unusual and certainly doesn't always mean cancer. Not that it's not possible, but unless a biopsy was performed to confirm this diagnosis, I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Enlarged spleens can result from other illnesses or really for no solid reason at all. And, they can live quite well without a spleen, so if it is cancerous and it hasn't spread beyond the spleen, removal of the spleen would probably be curative. I'm having a hard time remembering if any one of my older ferrets in the past didn't have an enlarged spleen. Right now, Spaz, who is going on 6, has an a slightly enlarged spleen that I can feel. Penny, who will be 5 in December does not. For the ferrets, Mike * Michael Janke, [log in to unmask] * South Florida Ferret Help Line, 305-752-7040 * * Website: http://www.miamiferret.org * Adrenal/Insulinoma web site: http://www.ferrethealth.info * * Ferret Health List: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth [Posted in FML issue 3925]