Fig is a firecracker, a three-year-old ferret with boundless energy. His owner, Brittany Ray, describes him as a "sour patch kid - first sour, then sweet, but mostly sweet. He'll nip at your feet and then cuddle in your lap."
So when Fig was suddenly lethargic and wouldn't eat one day, Ray knew something was amiss and rushed him to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals.
"We ordered an abdominal ultrasound stat, and radiologists looking at Fig's intestinal tract quickly realized that he had a perforated intestine," said Dr. Nicola Di Girolamo, associate professor and section chief of exotics. "This was as much of an emergency as there can be."
Ray agreed to bring Fig immediately into surgery, where Di Girolamo, with exotics intern Dr. Adam Moreno and then-veterinary student Kendall Peterkin, D.V.M. '24, removed a large portion of his intestinal tract.
Later, Cornell pathologists confirmed he had lymphoma, and a tumor had caused the perforation.
"Not only did Fig need the section of his intestines that contained the rupture removed, but also the tumor, followed by sewing the intestines back together, one cut end to another," said Dr. Lauren Thielen, assistant clinical professor in the exotics section and a member of Fig's care team.
With Fig's small size - approximately 2 pounds - this surgery was a challenge. It went well, however, and Ray decided to pursue chemotherapy for Fig to remove the rest of the lymphoma.
Fig's diagnosis was intermediate-grade, large-cell, alimentary lymphoma. Lymphoma is a common cancer in ferrets and can happen at any age. The clinical signs range from gastrointestinal issues to enlarged lymph nodes, spleen and liver. With early diagnosis, there are reasonable treatment options that can improve the life of the ferret.
Read the rest of the story at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine site.
