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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2013 17:55:41 GMT -5
I almost can't stand to say it, but I am super worried about my youngest girl Chia. I have read quite a bit about Lymphoma, but would like to get some extra opinions. Chia has a vet appointment this Sunday at McKnight in Calgary. The vet is one I haven't seen before, Dr P (not sure how to spell the name as it isn't on the website). I really hope he/she is good with ferrets, as I can't wait until the 15th to see Dr McIntyre, and Dr Kimura isn't on the schedule anymore apparently.
She had a vet exam a month ago, because she has always had a slight cough. Its not very often, and doesn't seem to be caused by anything. The vet did some x-rays, and found nothing abnormal.
This past month, she has gained quite a bit of weight: She was 1LB, 13OZ on May 11 and is now 2LB, 11OZ. She still coughs every now and then as well. She hasn't started to shed her coat yet either, while my other 2 have. She has been having some funky poops lately, that are greenish and mucousy. Her pee looks slightly darker than normal, but that could just be me freaking myself out. The biggest thing that concerns me is that it almost looks like the lymph nodes in her neck/shoulder area are swollen. I haven't seen this before, so I could be wrong. She also seems to tire faster lately, but is eating and drinking normally.
I could be completely over-reacting however, and maybe it is simply that she has her seasons reversed and has put on weight? She is about 9 months old. I changed litters very recently from Yesterdays News to Worlds Best Cat Litter, maybe it could be some form of allergy?
Now for the questions: 1. Does anyone from Calgary, AB know if Dr P will be a reliable ferret vet? 2. Wouldn't lymphoma show up on x-rays? And if so, is it possible for the lymphoma to pop up within the span of a month? 3. Does anyone know what typical swollen lymph nodes look/feel like? 4. Does this sound at all like a form of Lymphoma? If so, what tests should I be going for to get a diagnosis?
Hopefully you guys might be able to offer me some guidance! I really appreciate it!
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Post by bitbyter on Jun 7, 2013 18:24:10 GMT -5
Does her neck look like this?: If so that is swollen lymph nodes. How old is she? I lost a young ferret to juvenile lymphoma and it progresses very fast. The only symptom I had noticed was a cough, vets just thought it was a virus, cough got a bit worse and then she was gone within a week. 3 weeks total from the time I started to get suspicious that she wasn't well.
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Post by acodlin on Jun 7, 2013 18:30:40 GMT -5
Can you actually feel her lymph nodes in her neck? Sometimes when they gain weight they end up with a fat neck and you can feel fat pads on the side but the lymph nodes will feel like actual lumps.
How old is she? She could have her seasons backwards and that's why she's gaining weight, and the cough could just be fur. Hannibal gets a nasty cough that sounds like a goose honking when he gets his winter coat and when he sheds. I have to give him pumpkin daily but he'll still hack every now and then.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2013 18:51:34 GMT -5
She is about 9 months. It looks slightly like the picture, but not as pronounced. The cough is what first got me thinking, and then the weight gain made me more nervous. She is about 9 months. I did consider that she could have reversed seasons, but she has had her cough for a couple months now. They also get pumpkin a couple times a week lately because my other 2 are shedding. Her cough isn't too bad, it just sounds like a regular cough, and only happens once every so often (maybe a couple times a day). Also, it seems like a lot a lot of weight to gain in a month. It feels like there might be a small lump, but nothing huge. Its hard for me to tell. I wish I could get a picture of her, but she never sits still like that.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 7, 2013 19:49:58 GMT -5
Dr Perez is very good, so no concerns there. I've been fortunate enough not to experience juvenile lymphoma so can't help with that.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 7, 2013 19:54:30 GMT -5
And I just called the clinic about Dr. Kimura. Evidently this is just a break but could last a long while
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2013 20:26:33 GMT -5
Thats good! Everyone at the clinic seems to be very good! I hope Dr Kimura comes back soon! I sincerely hope it isn't juvenile lymphoma, and its just me being overly paranoid! Is gaining almost a whole pound in one month a little drastic? I have never experienced this with my other ferts, so I find it kind of strange.
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Post by katt on Jun 8, 2013 2:10:26 GMT -5
Swollen lymph nodes + cough is suspicious... Definitely worth checking out. At the very least it could be an infection of some sort that requires antibiotics... Please keep us posted!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 8:25:47 GMT -5
I don't think X-ray alone will confirm Juvenile Lymphoma, they need to do Bloods. I will never forget that cough, its more whooping than a normal cough. My girls Lymph nodes did not swell at all. The cough with JL is the trachea being crushed - its horrific and never want to go through that again. I really hope and pray that your little one does not have it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 9:18:04 GMT -5
I'm definitely hoping for the best! I will keep everyone updated. The appointment is tomorrow evening. Should I ask for blood work? I am going to get them to recheck the xrays for anything they might have missed. Thanks for the support everyone
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Post by Heather on Jun 8, 2013 11:28:20 GMT -5
Unfortunately...bloodwork often doesn't tell much especially about lymphomas. It will come back as an elevated white blood count, which could be an infection. Talk with your vet about this and see what he/she suggests. Most of my diagnosis were done by palpation and xrays. The blood work might be able to better tell you what the infection is if it's an infection ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 18:14:20 GMT -5
Every vet I have seen at McKnight has been fantastic:) and I have seen about 5 different ones cause of ferret emergencies. That sucks about Dr. Kimura being off for so long though As for the neck swelling, it could very well just be chubbyness. Has there been weight gain anywhere else? What kind of cough is it? And where did you get the ferret from? What does the tattoo and paperwork (if you have it) look like? I ask because I've got chronic coughers. And I have had every test run under the sun. We suspect it's some kind of chronic lung thing, probably from the terrible ferret farm they came from. But short of doing very very long term antibiotics or a lung biopsy, I have been told to just leave it be because they are healthy otherwise.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 18:42:03 GMT -5
I haven't seen any weight gain anywhere other than her abdomen. It very well could just be some extra fat, but I'm a cautious person It sounds like a regular cough to me! I'll definitely look into the possibility of an infection as well. I'm hoping it isn't anything serious. She has had her cough for about 3 months
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Post by bitbyter on Jun 8, 2013 21:54:13 GMT -5
If she has had the cough for 3 months it may not be JL. From what I've read it usually progresses faster than that. They get the cough when the tumor(s) start to push on their heart, lungs or trachea so they usually have had it for quite some time when the cough shows up. Usually isn't long before they are gone at that point.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 22:05:00 GMT -5
That makes me feel better Thanks everyone for all the information! I definitely don't feel as freaked out now. Hopefully the vet can shed some light on the situation tomorrow.
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