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Lymphosarcoma & Lymphoma in FerretsThis is a cancer of the lymphatic system and both young and old ferrets can be affected. However, if the ferret is young, the disease is usually rapidly fatal. Older ferrets can live without any symptoms of this disease for years and then it will suddenly appear. Some of the symptoms to look out for are
Your vet will take blood tests and might even need to do exploratory surgery before deciding on the best course of treatment. Regrettably the prognosis is poor. Fidget, our beautiful silvermitt, got lymphosarcoma when she was 6 years old and she lasted another 2 years on prednisone. Unfortunately it got to the stage where one day, all of a sudden, her tumor just got incredibly large and her stomach so swollen that we knew it was time for her last visit to the vet. Ferret Central has a FAQ on the subject and Dr Bruce Williams has written an article about lymphosarcoma, which also includes a couple of photos of cancerous organs. Dr Williams also wrote about Lymphoma in Ferrets in pdf format here. Dr Ron Hines also has written an article about lymphoma and lymphosarcoma in your ferret and, as usual, the Miami Ferret site has good information about the disease. There's also a FAQ on Essiac, a natural remedy which apparently is great for treating lymphoma and lymphosarcoma. I wish I had known about it when we still had Fidget as I would have tried anything to help her!
DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this page is not meant to replace seeing a veterinarian if you think your ferret is ill. It’s only meant to supply general information on a particular illness which was obtained either from personal experience with my sick ferrets, or from books and/or the Internet. Return from Lymphosarcoma in Ferrets to All About Ferrets
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Hind leg weakness 
