Post by huronna on Sept 28, 2013 0:15:15 GMT -5
Yes Mac is still happy, fat and sassy.....but has some health problems.
Before the trouble with Mr. Really, Mac had had a cough that was treated with clavamox.
The cough seemed to go away.
You have to remember that Mac has always been a very independent ferret. He will let anyone hold him for 30 seconds or szo and then wants down. He is a jewel when he has his nail slipped as my husband just sort of sits him on his lap while I clip. But he's never been a real love dovey ferret.
The few days after Really died, we would not let Mac alone. We were constantly holding him, petting him etc. He probably thought we were a bit wacko, but we bother needed the ferret love. We noticed at this time that he had small lumps on either front "arm pit" well you know where I mean and we took him to the vet right away. He also has started with a cough again. When I say cough, it is a dry cough, about two or three times and then he stops. They did blood work that showed nothing, they felt the lumps were a fatty tissue but there was a shadow showing on the x-rays by his lungs.
Because he has normal blood work, they felt this cough might be due to a slight cold or even pneumonia sho back on clavamox he went. He was actually on it three weeks, new bottles every ten days. During this time he would occasionally cough, but days would go by when he didn't.
After three weeks we went back for more x-rays which showed the same cloudy area. No bigger, but no smaller.
All along I have been thinking Lymphoma. We have had Mac for 5 years and he was an adult when we got him, so age wise he would be somewhere between 6-7. So if it is lymphoma, it would be adult and very slow.
I agreed to a biopsy, oh he had developed enlargement of the lymph nodes around the shoulder/neck area. They tried a needle biopsy a few times and could not get any asprate.
It was suggsted that I take him to BluePearl, which used to be called Florida Vet Services, one of the most advance and most expensive places for a more definite diagnosis. When I say expensive, it's a couple hundred dollars just to walk through the door. and then it would be sonograms and heaven only knows what else. only to reach a diagnosis that most ferrets owners already know.
There would be no way that I would give him the chemo theraphy which emotionally would be more difficult than the treatment. Having to go to the vet almost every day and to do what? extend his life by a couple of months?
We have decided that we are not going to put him through that. So far he is not in any distress and a long as he is comfortable, he will get the best care we can provide.
I think he might be a little ferret lonely also, but after 30 years of being owned by ferrets, we may take a little break after this.
Thanks for reading all this, I know it was a lot. But I'm sure some of you were wondering how Mac was doing after the loss of Really.
Before the trouble with Mr. Really, Mac had had a cough that was treated with clavamox.
The cough seemed to go away.
You have to remember that Mac has always been a very independent ferret. He will let anyone hold him for 30 seconds or szo and then wants down. He is a jewel when he has his nail slipped as my husband just sort of sits him on his lap while I clip. But he's never been a real love dovey ferret.
The few days after Really died, we would not let Mac alone. We were constantly holding him, petting him etc. He probably thought we were a bit wacko, but we bother needed the ferret love. We noticed at this time that he had small lumps on either front "arm pit" well you know where I mean and we took him to the vet right away. He also has started with a cough again. When I say cough, it is a dry cough, about two or three times and then he stops. They did blood work that showed nothing, they felt the lumps were a fatty tissue but there was a shadow showing on the x-rays by his lungs.
Because he has normal blood work, they felt this cough might be due to a slight cold or even pneumonia sho back on clavamox he went. He was actually on it three weeks, new bottles every ten days. During this time he would occasionally cough, but days would go by when he didn't.
After three weeks we went back for more x-rays which showed the same cloudy area. No bigger, but no smaller.
All along I have been thinking Lymphoma. We have had Mac for 5 years and he was an adult when we got him, so age wise he would be somewhere between 6-7. So if it is lymphoma, it would be adult and very slow.
I agreed to a biopsy, oh he had developed enlargement of the lymph nodes around the shoulder/neck area. They tried a needle biopsy a few times and could not get any asprate.
It was suggsted that I take him to BluePearl, which used to be called Florida Vet Services, one of the most advance and most expensive places for a more definite diagnosis. When I say expensive, it's a couple hundred dollars just to walk through the door. and then it would be sonograms and heaven only knows what else. only to reach a diagnosis that most ferrets owners already know.
There would be no way that I would give him the chemo theraphy which emotionally would be more difficult than the treatment. Having to go to the vet almost every day and to do what? extend his life by a couple of months?
We have decided that we are not going to put him through that. So far he is not in any distress and a long as he is comfortable, he will get the best care we can provide.
I think he might be a little ferret lonely also, but after 30 years of being owned by ferrets, we may take a little break after this.
Thanks for reading all this, I know it was a lot. But I'm sure some of you were wondering how Mac was doing after the loss of Really.
I have or should I say had 2 with lymphoma (just lost my Tator Tot last night). I am doing chemo this is the 3rd time. The first time I did the Tuft's protocol and that I will never do again - very time consuming, emotionally draining and extremely expensive. My vet for the 2 I have now is doing oral chemo that I can do at home. Not so many vet visits I go every 2-3 weeks. I must say that this is so much easier and my Cracker who is still with me has had lympho since January. He still acts like a ferret and eats like a horse. Tator Tot had intestinal and lung cancer he unfortunately only made it til last evening. Just thought I would let you know that there are ways to do chemo that's not so awful. 
