This morning I noticed that my ferret has a bump on his foot that I don't think was there last night. (We sat on the couch and read together and I am sure I would have noticed it!) It is on the top of his left foot, and (to my eyes) seems huge-- approx. 1/4 inch across--and like a swollen blood blister. I wiped it off with a damp cotton ball, and a trace amount of blood came off. Also there were some little blood spots on his sleepy-bag that were not there yesterday. One of his toes looks a little out of shape--sort of like a reverse hammertoe--and dark red/bruised-looking but there are no red streaks going up his leg. He is walking (jumping! rolling over!) and behaving normally. There appears to be no pain--he didn't squirm or flinch or whimper when I touched it and wiped it off with cool water--and he stands on it. The bump is on the top of his foot, about where the hand knuckles would be on a human hand. I hated to leave him to go to work, but he gave me a "Mom, I'm fine, you worry too much" look, and he'd been acting fine, and hadn't been upset when I looked at the bump, so I'm here now sneaking an early coffee break, and wondering what happened. A spider bite? A bruise? He cut himself somehow? Or something more sinister? Will we be rushing to the emergency 24-hr-vet tonight after I get home-- or will he be just fine? If he'd acted unhappy about it I would've have to take an emergency day but we are very short-staffed today and running on 1/2 power, and that would've not gone over big. . .so now I am here worrying and wondering if anybody has any knowledge that will help. . . Kate, owned by Emmett Kelly, part-owned by Booker Cat [Posted in FML issue 2029]