To: Steven and Colleen
 
    In the past I have had ferrets with sores on their backs. They weren't
really orange, but they were watery, kind of crusty, and wouldn't heal. The
sores must have been very itchy because the ferrets would chew and scratch at
them until they would bleed. The sores turned out to be mast cell tumors, which
are full of histamine and very itchy. They can be surgically removed, and this
gives much relief to an uncomfortable ferret. So, you might check to see if
these are mast cell tumors. They are quite common in ferrets.
                                                                KR
 
[Posted in FML issue 0921]