>... last night wookie, a week after being fixed and descented, died >suddenly. > >the vet wants to examine him to get some answers > > wookie 07/16/04 to 04/14/05 > > a real crusher > > bob in phoenix Hello All Wookie had a large growth on his spleen that rupured and he bled out internally. In young ferrets usually undetectable until they die bummer bob in phoenix Types of lymphosarcoma First, let's take a look at the varied forms that lymphosarcoma can take. There are basically two clinical presentations of lymphosarcoma in the ferret - a rapidly progressive lymphoblastic form which is most common in ferrets under 2 years of age, and a more chronic lymphocytic form which affects ferrets 5-7 years of age. The "classic" form of lymphosarcoma, which causes marked enlargement of the peripheral nodes, is seen in older animals and has the more prolonged course of the two syndromes. In this disease, an infiltrate of small mature lymphocytes expands the peripheral and mesenteric nodes, eventually effacing nodal architecture. Late in the course of disease, neoplastic lymphocytes infiltrate visceral organs (including the liver, kidney, lungs, and spleen) resulting in organ failure and death. This disease is usually insidious, resulting in little clinical debility until extensive infiltration of visceral organs has occurred. The lymphoblastic form [also called juvenile lymphosarcoma <http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/med/lymph.html#juvenile> ], which affects ferrets from one to two years, is quite different. In this disease, large immature lymphocytes quickly infiltrate the viscera, including the thymus, spleen, liver, and many other organs. Little to no lymph node replacement is seen in these cases, a finding which results in a high rate of misdiagnosis by clinicians without extensive ferret experience. This form can take a myriad of clinical appearances depending on which organs are involved. One of the more common presentations results in dyspnea and is often diagnosed as cardiomyopathy or pneumonia. The lesion in this syndrome is actually a rapidly growing thymic mass which compresses the lungs. Less commonly, extensive hepatic infiltration by neoplastic lymphocytes may result in marked hepatic enzyme increases and icterus suggesting fulminant liver disease, and so on. Lymphoblastic lymphosarcoma should always be ruled out when dealing with any serious illness in young ferrets. [Posted in FML issue 4849]