Rapidly Spreading Skin Tumors in a Pet Ferret
Reader Question
my ferret named dax had such a severe case of mast cell tumors that started innocent enough with one open sore which i thought was maybe a wound somehow, a day later there were three open sores and that very night he was covered. he was treated with prednizone and benadryl. it maybe helped alittle but the tumors continued to spread everywhere on his little body. he really didn't mind too much how he looked and acted alright. he slept alot more but i was really hoping he would recover. it just so happened that the tumors were appearing ontop of tumors. in the matter of one short month he was so bad in the end that he could not even bite into his dry food. it has been almost three months since i had to have him euthanized and i still can't help to think if there was something i could have done to prevent, treat him or cure this horrible disease. i guess my question is, have you ever heard of this sort of thing spreading so fierce and fast? one short month from healthy, playful ferret to completely ravaged? i thank you so much for reading my story and appreciate if you can respond. thank you.
Answer from Our Team
We're so sorry for the loss of Dax. Our site focuses on dogs, but we can say that in ferrets, mast cell tumors are usually small and benign, so the rapid, widespread course you describe would be very unusual, and it may have been a different, more aggressive disease.
Please don't blame yourself. You noticed quickly, got him treated and kept him comfortable. An exotic-animal vet could talk through what may have happened if you'd find that helpful.
See cancer in dogs.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.
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