I have scheduled a vet appointment (for Wednesday) ...but with Ferret Central down, I could use some speculation..... I found a lump on my ferret Epstein's back. He had his annual rabies shot on Wednesday night and I found the lump on Sunday night. The lump is to the left of his spine , mid back about 3" from his neck and 3" from the base of his tail...and is approx. the size of a kidney bean. The lump is not rock hard...but its not 100% squishy either ...perhaps it is the consistency of an kernal of corn. It does not appear to cause Epstein pain when I palpitate or squeeze the lump. Epstein is at his usual high energy level - he is eating normally (a mix of TF and Iams kitten) - pooping normally - and doing his best to liberate all of my houseplants from their dirt prisons. The lump has not changed shape, size, consistency, or location since Sunday. Epstein will be 3 years old in July. He had a gastronomy back in November to remove a piece of rubber (eeek!) from his stomach. He is a silver mitt from an unknown breeder. Since he was very young, Epstein has from time to time, at random intervals had an unusual hacking cough, that sounds like ashma. He gets a large dose of petromalt daily ...and my vet does not think the coughing is because of a blockage. Epstein gets lots of hugs, scratches and inspections ...and I don't think the lump was there last week. The vet did a physical exam on Wednesday before giving Epstein his annual rabies shot. Could this be a reaction to the shot? (It is not in the same location.) A cancer? A benign cyst? Any ideas? I'd like to show up at the vets on Wednesay with as much information as possible. Thanks Cynthia Donovan & Epstein - "Stop poking me ...I gotta go dig!" Rockford - "I'm the perfect one, no lumps on me and I never get caught digging." [Posted in FML issue 2677]