The ferret conditions most often seen at the practice, part 2 of 2.

 

Lymphoma or lymphosarcoma

Tumours and cancers are, sadly, common in ferrets. Lymphoma (or lymphosarcoma) is a cancer of the lymphatic cells and strikes ferrets of any age. There are in fact two forms, a juvenile one and a generalised one, and their signs differ a little. The juvenile form (from a few months to 1-2 years of age) comes on almost acutely and can be mistaken for a gastric obstruction such as a foreign body, whereas the classic form in adults begins with vague, non-specific signs such as weight loss and lethargy. It typically runs a chronic, wearing-down course. Beyond the lymph nodes (single or multiple) and the spleen, any organ can be affected, with a preference for the gastrointestinal organs, the eyes, the bone marrow, the lungs, the kidneys and others.

The diagnosis is reached through a range of tests such as ultrasound, exploratory laparoscopy, cytology and histopathology, among others.

Chemotherapy protocols have been described, bringing on a remission of a few months. But given a very guarded outlook and these ferrets’ quality of life, euthanasia is more often the choice made.

Hyperadrenocorticism

Early spaying or neutering (at around 6-7 weeks of age) is a major factor in the appearance, from the age of 3, of hyperadrenocorticism. Both adrenal glands can be affected. Unlike the dog, which shows hyperadrenocorticism as Cushing’s syndrome caused by a rise in cortisol in the body, the ferret responds little through cortisol and more through a rise in the sex hormones it secretes. This difference matters, because it explains two things:

– treatment with lysodren, as used in the dog, has no effect in the ferret;

– the signs described in the ferret are quite different.

The affected ferret always shows signs of being in season despite the neutering or spaying — that is, a swollen vulva and vulval discharge and, in the male, drops of urine left constantly and rather frantically along the way. Hair loss (alopecia) goes with these signs, starting on the tail and spreading over the body, mainly the trunk.

The diagnosis is based on the history, the clinical signs, an ultrasound scan by an experienced operator and, finally, laparoscopy. The treatment of choice is surgical. Histopathology will then pin down the outlook.

Insulinoma

A common tumour in the USA, it is rarer in our part of the world. Signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) go along with the insulinoma, a tumour of the endocrine part of the pancreas. These tumours generally appear in ferrets over 5 years old; they may be benign or sometimes malignant or multiple. Complete surgical removal is therefore often impossible: most of the affected tissue, or even a whole lobe, is taken out, and conservative treatment with prednisolone is sometimes needed as well.

Other tumours

Sadly, the ferret is fairly prone to tumours of all kinds, including of the skin and of the reproductive, gastrointestinal, endocrine, urinary and musculoskeletal systems.

Infections

All sorts of infections are possible in the ferret — bacterial, viral, parasitic or protozoal in origin. Depending on the organ and the signs, further tests are chosen where needed to close in on a diagnosis that is not always easy. There are also still few laboratories testing samples from ferrets, so it is always worth checking beforehand. Treatment then follows the diagnosis, or at least the most likely suspicion.

Injuries

One could fill pages with the injuries a ferret might suffer. Most happen after the animal is accidentally crushed by its owner or another person, after a fall (from a piece of furniture, a shoulder or a window), or when a door slams. Thanks to its suppleness, the ferret luckily often comes through unharmed; in most ferrets you find one or two broken canines as the only injury. Sometimes the damage is greater and is treated as it would be in other animals.

While we are far from having covered every condition seen in the ferret, these two parts give an overview of the cases most often diagnosed, or at least documented, in our region. The ferret remains a carnivore, with some illnesses similar to those of the dog — or sometimes the cat — and the lines of diagnosis and treatment often fall into step with theirs too.