Hi everyone, First, thanks to everybody who wrote with advice and support for Lola. I'm always so thankful that the FML is here. Unfortunately, Lola's prognosis is not great. I was able to get her in for surgery on Tuesday, but after they got her under anaesthesia the vet realized there was nothing she could do. What we thought was a fluid-filled abscess is a mass of grossly swollen tissue originating from her vulva. She couldn't find any pockets of fluid to drain, and she couldn't remove any of the mass without compromising other structures (it covers Lola's whole groin and anal area, as well as extending up onto her abdomen). So, she woke her up and sent her home. I want to stress that my vet (Deborah Lichtenberg) really knows what she's doing. She's the vet all the others in the area send their ferret problems to, and her practice has received awards from NEFFER. She had never seen a case like this, and said my only other option would be to take her to Tufts where they'd probably tell me the same thing. We're trying her on another course of Clavamox to see if any of it has to do with infection, but otherwise we're at a loss. What's really breaking my heart is how well Lola is handling all of this. She eats and drinks, and makes an effort to get to the litter box although she's not always successful. She tries to get up and walk around, but is hindered by the nearly egg-sized mass on her rear end. She wants to cuddle and give kisses more than ever (she's curled up asleep in my lap as I write this). It broke my heart when the practice manager said "Oh, you are taking her home?" when I came to pick her up. He meant, as opposed to euthanizing her right then. So, for now it's pretty much hospice care. I will care for Lola as long as she's still happy with her life, which as far as I can tell she is. I love her so much, and she's been with me for so long. Please keep us in your thoughts, I'll keep you updated. Rachel, Lola and Pukka [Posted in FML 5527]