To Sheena Staples: >I didn't get even an inkling of a response the first time I posted this, so >I am posting it again, hoping someone will be able to offer advice so my >friend can help her ferret. I apologize for missing this one. However, it is getting to the point where I am unable to get to all of my email messages. I receive ten or fifteen email requests on a daily basis...and it doesn't look like there are any other vets on the FML anymore. While I try to answer as much as possible, I can no longer guarantee that all questions will be answered. I pick and choose and try to hit the most urgent questions - I usually get to most of them, but it may be several days. Please remember that my answering email is not a substitute for visiting the vet. If you think there is a serious problem, go see your vet. >A friend of mine has a very old ferret (approx 8 years or more) that >appears to have an odd problem. He is blind in one eye and has a tumour or >cyst that reappears periodically on the sheath of his penis. He is also >fairly overweight. Recently he has had problems with his stomach getting >very distended... I think that he should go to the vet and have an examination, probably to include a radiograph of the abdomen to find out what is causing the distention - is it gas or fluid buildup. Some ferrets with digestive roblems may accumulate a lot of gas in the stomach and intestines, which will eventually be reabsorbed by the body. However, fluid in the abdominal cavity signifies a much more severe problem - usually heart disease, but occasionally we see tremendous fluid buildup in the abdomen due to the presence of a tumor. The preputial cyst is no big deal, nor the blindness in the eye. But the abdominal distention may signify a life-threatening problem. [Posted in FML issue 1404]