Hi all, I know it's been a long time since I've written anything, but I have a boy at the vet's right now and I have a few questions that I'd like to hear your thoughts on. Long story short, Finley (my dear albino, going on seven this year) showed extreme lethargy, shallow breathing, yellowy eyes and nose, and felt way too cold. I knew enough to totally freak out at that stage, and sure enough, the vet found him to be anaemic and having abdominal pain. They put him on heat and fluids and took some blood, resulting in the knowledge that his spleen is very swollen (or has possibly has something attached to it), and is destroying his red blood cells. I poked around on online and in the archives, and it seems that this would be what's called 'hypersplenism' - correct? Alternatively, reading the archives also suggests that hypersplenism is very uncommon or actually just one unique case. Can anyone give me more info about this? Is there some other condition that can be expected to cause both the swelling and the anaemia? Either way, as I understand it, the vet will probably say she needs to remove his spleen. I'm reading that it's fairly common for ferrets to have their spleens out, so if any of you who have dealt with this before can give me some advice, I'd be very grateful. Does a spleen-less ferret just carry on as normal? Do they require regular medication or any special treatment I should think about budgeting for? Does the process increase risk factors for any other diseases/conditions? I am so very, very grateful right now that Finley is still alive - our last two losses were so sudden that, by the time we saw the signs, there was nothing we could do. Anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated - my husband and I are very skeptical people, so learning and gathering information is sort of our coping mechanism <:) Thanks in advance from concerned ferret parents. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fox Lee: The Girl Your Mother Warned You About http://hypercrescendo.net/foxlee/fls/ http://www.furbiddenrealms.com http://blurty.com/users/leechimera/ "I don't put them on ignore, personally, because it's against my personal philosophy. ;p (blocking out the bits of the world you don't like doesn't make the world a better place, it just makes you a little more ignorant of how bad it is. ;p)" - Jason Heavensrun, wise man [Posted in FML 6955]