First off, I'm really sorry about the loss of your ferret :( Secondly, the exact same thing happened with me last year with one of my ferrets - Duncan, an adorable and always a bit chunky dark Sable who was the sweetest of the sweet. After I'd already lost my two eldest just a couple months before after about a year of pred for Insulinoma. Duncan loved to cuddle and would happily fall asleep in whoever's arms he happened to be in. I lost him at only four years old and it was also deemed to be lymphoma. Unlike your ferret Duncan had actually GAINED some weight - not lost it - so I brought him to the vet. The vet checked him out - did some tests and felt him all over and said he was fine - he just had bulked up a bit over the winter. Well a couple months went by and he started acting lethargic. I made an appointment to take him to the vet the next day. That morning he seemed to be having labored breathing. The vet had a really busy day so I left him there to be x-rayed and also to get some tartar cleaned on his teeth. The vet called me an hour later. He'd never gotten to the teeth - Duncan had gone into respiratory arrest while he was xraying him. He had put him on a ventilator and called me. And Duncan died before I could make it back to the office. The Xray revealed several masses in his stomach. I felt bad that I hadn't insisted on an Xray during that exam a few months ago with another vet. But what if it had revealed lymphoma then? There isn t really anything you can do to save them so instead of losing him quickly I would have had a few more months wondering WHEN I'd lose him. Maybe with some meds I'd have a few months with him - if that. So don't knock yourself for not having had him checked out a few days before - would it have really made any difference? It's such a horrible feeling to know we can't save them so I think it was better that he went quickly - as hard as it may hurt. ((((HUGS))))) Laura and the Seattle Seven at http://www.ferretocious.com [Posted in FML 5929]