Lymphoma in the Ferret: An Overview of Diagnosis and Treatment

Key Points

  • Lymphoma is one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in the domestic ferret.
  • “Juvenile” lymphoma is often associated with respiratory distress secondary to thymic enlargement in young ferrets less than 3 years of age.
  • “Adult onset” lymphoma is seen in ferrets over 3 years. Affected animals often show non-specific signs of illness, diarrhea, and peripheral lymphadenopathy.
  • Lymphadenopathy can be very difficult to distinguish from normal fat deposition, particularly during the colder months in male ferrets.
  • Diagnostics should include hematology including a platelet count and manual differential examination, serum biochemistry, radiography, and ultrasonography.
  • Definitive diagnosis relies upon histopathology of affected organ tissue or lymph node biopsy.
  • Chemotherapy is indicated in most cases. At this point, no conclusive information exists to indicate that any one treatment is superior for the majority of cases, and controlled studies are decidedly lacking.

Lymphoma is one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in the domestic ferret. In one large study by Li et al, lymphoma was the third most common neoplasm seen in 574 ferrets after adrenal disease and insulinoma. Although a possible retroviral etiology has been proposed, no virus has yet been identified . . .


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References

Ammersbach M, DeLay JL, Caswell DA, et al. Laboratory findings, histopathology, and immunophenotype of lymphoma in domestic ferrets. Vet Pathol 45:663-673, 2008.

Antinoff N, Hahn K. Ferret oncology: diseases, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Vet Clin No Am: Exot Anim Pract 7(3):579-625, 2004.

Carpenter JW, Quesenberry KE. Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA. London: Saunders; 2004.

Eaton KA. Animal models of Helicobacter gastritis. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 241:123-154, 1999.

Erdman SE, Correa P, Coleman LA, et al. Helicobacter mustelae-associated gastric MALT lymphoma in ferrets. Am J Pathol 151(1):273-280, 1997.

Eshar D, Wyre NR, Griessmayr P, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of myelo-osteolytic plasmablastic lymphoma of the femur in a domestic ferret. J Am Vet Med Assoc 237(4):407-414, 2010.

Gupta A, Gumber S, Schnellbacher R, et al. Malignant B-cell lymphoma with Mott cell differentiation in a ferret (Mustela putorius furo). J Vet Diagn Invest 22(3):469-473, 2010.

Li X, Fox JG, Padrid PA. Neoplastic diseases in ferrets: 574 cases (1968-1997). J Am Vet Med Assoc 212(9): 1402-1406, 1998.

Mayer J. Update on ferret lymphoma. Proc North Am Vet Conf 2006. Pp. 1748-1749.

Oglesbee BL. The 5-Minute Veterinary Consult: Ferret and Rabbit. Ames, IO: Blackwell Publishing; 2006.

Onuma M, Kondo H, Ono S, et al. Cytomorphological and immunohistochemical features of lymphoma in ferrets. J Vet Med Sci 70(9): 893-898, 2008.

To cite this page:

Mitchell SC. Lymphoma in the ferret: An overview of diagnosis and treatment. April 10, 2012. LafeberVet Web site. Available at https://lafeber.com/vet/lymphoma-in-the-ferret-an-overview-of-diagnosis-and-treatment/