Lymphosarcoma in Ferrets is a neoplastic disease. Lymphosarcoma is a type of white blood cell, lymphocytes play an important and integral role in the body 's defenses. When a cancer develops in the lympocyte cells of the immune system, it is referred to as lymphoma, or lymphosarcoma. This can eventually affect the blood, lymph and immune systems, as well as the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems. Lymphoma is cancer (malignancy) of lymphocytes that usually involves lymph nodes or other lymphatic tissue of the body. Lymphoma is one of the most common diseases seen in pet ferrets. In fact, it is the third most common tumor affecting ferrets, often occurring between the ages of two and five. However, middle-aged ferrets may be asymptomatic …show more content…
Your veterinarian may even recommend taking bone marrow samples, so that they can be sent to a veterinary pathologist for further evaluation and to determine the extent of disease. Many ferrets with lymphoma are asymptomatic. It can be difficult to predict whether treatment is warranted in these cases. Many ferrets will remain asymptomatic for years, requiring no treatment. Others, meanwhile, may show signs of disease that are cyclic or even waning with or without treatment, making evaluation of treatment success difficult. Typically, treatment is indicated in young ferrets with aggressive cancer, or in middle-aged to older ferrets with clinical signs attributable to cancer. Older, debilitated ferrets are more likely to develop serious side effects to chemotherapy. Debilitated, anorectic, or dehydrated ferrets will be hospitalized for intravenous chemotherapy. There is also a possibility that surgery may be required to relieve intestinal obstructions, remove solitary masses, and to obtain …show more content…
After remission, some protocols will allow you to administer drugs orally at home. As an LVT I will tell the owner to be careful handling these drugs and they need to wear latex gloves when administering these drugs.
Medications presented in this section are intended to provide general information about possible treatment. The treatment for a particular condition may evolve as medical advances are made. Chemotherapy—used in a combination or sequential protocol; some protocols have induction and maintenance ,Prednisone alone—can be used to decrease clinical signs and improve how the ferret feels; temporary response, not a cure
Pet should be monitored often and taken for Physical examination, complete blood count (CBC), and platelet count—before each weekly cycle of chemotherapy
Possible complications include: Low white-blood cell counts (leukopenia) Generalized bacterial infection (sepsis)
Cure is possible but highly unlikely. Goal is to induce remission and achieve a good quality of life for patients for as long as