killertheturtle
Well-Known Member
Hello,
My 8 year old ferret, Ozzy, has cancer. It has metastasised (sp?) to his lungs, however he is breathing fine and his lungs sound normal.
I'm a vet tech at a hospital that only sees cats and dogs, so the doctor I took him to does not have a lot of experience with ferrets. However, the cancer was obvious in the xrays to both me and her. Plus all of his lymph nodes are enlarged. She has done a lot of reading and we are going to start him on prednisone tonight (0.5 mgs twice a day... no longer than 9 weeks, but I doubt he'll be around that long). I cannot afford surgery to remove the mass, especially if it ends up being his pancreas or spleen (the doctor could not identify exactly what the growth is. I'm confidant it is not his adrenal gland(s)).
Anyway, he is eating, drinking, alert, and still plays/explores a little. He has lost weight, is weak, and has a hard time balancing. I've been spoiling him with nurtical and will be giving subQ fluids as needed.
Does anyone have any type of gestimate at how long he'll be around? Is the cancer going to hurt soon? Is there anything aside from what I'm doing now that would make him more comfortable?
I do plan to euthanize him once I can tell he's ready, I just would really like an idea of when that will be. This may sound silly, but I know when that time comes he will let me know.
Anything I should look out for specifically?
Thank you in advance.
My 8 year old ferret, Ozzy, has cancer. It has metastasised (sp?) to his lungs, however he is breathing fine and his lungs sound normal.
I'm a vet tech at a hospital that only sees cats and dogs, so the doctor I took him to does not have a lot of experience with ferrets. However, the cancer was obvious in the xrays to both me and her. Plus all of his lymph nodes are enlarged. She has done a lot of reading and we are going to start him on prednisone tonight (0.5 mgs twice a day... no longer than 9 weeks, but I doubt he'll be around that long). I cannot afford surgery to remove the mass, especially if it ends up being his pancreas or spleen (the doctor could not identify exactly what the growth is. I'm confidant it is not his adrenal gland(s)).
Anyway, he is eating, drinking, alert, and still plays/explores a little. He has lost weight, is weak, and has a hard time balancing. I've been spoiling him with nurtical and will be giving subQ fluids as needed.
Does anyone have any type of gestimate at how long he'll be around? Is the cancer going to hurt soon? Is there anything aside from what I'm doing now that would make him more comfortable?
I do plan to euthanize him once I can tell he's ready, I just would really like an idea of when that will be. This may sound silly, but I know when that time comes he will let me know.
Anything I should look out for specifically?
Thank you in advance.