The mast cell tumor is a skin tumor that is common in ferrets. Many other animals and pets have it too. It is dangerous and painful, but luckily ferrets fall on the list of animals that survive it easily without much harm to their health.
Mast cell tumors in general don’t pose much threat to the health of animals in their initial stages. Therefore, you have enough time to treat them. It is basically a skin tumor that shows up in several places of the body (like the tail, feet, and eyelids). Though it can appear anywhere on the skin, tail, and feet are the most affected areas.
Let’s find out in a bit more detail what a mast cell tumor is and how to deal with it.
What Is A Mast Cell Tumor?
A mast cell tumor is a skin tumor that comes from a cell called Mast Cell. This tumor is famous for infecting ferrets of adult age. This tumor causes itching on the skin. Small bumps and soreness appear on the skin also due to this tumor. It takes a lot of time to heal on its own and if the ferret starts itching it then the sores get worse.
It is normal for ferrets to itch or bite their skin because their immune system automatically reacts to the tumor and makes it allergic.
However, if the lump develops on an open wound or an already damaged area of the body, then it can cause additional infections on the skin making your ferret uncomfortable.
This tumor often disappears and comes back again if it goes unnoticed. If you take a good look at your ferret’s body and find red lumps and sores that haven’t disappeared for months, then they could be a sign of a mast cell tumor.
How Much Does It Cost To Remove Mast Cell Tumor?
The surgical removal of the mast cell tumor costs between $500 to $12. It mainly depends on how much the tumor has progressed and its stage.
The tumor can only be removed through surgery, so there isn’t any alternative. Although in some cases, the surgery does not remove the tumor completely. If that happens then your doctor will recommend “Radiation Therapy”.
The doctor will allow you to start the radiation therapy after at least 2 weeks of treatment so that the wound from the operation can heal properly.
What Are The Symptoms Of Mast Cell Tumor?
Mast cell tumor comes with a lot of disadvantages and can cause pain to your ferret as well.
The beginning symptom is red sore spots; they grow on the ferret’s body. They are actually tiny spots that look like pimples, and they hurt the same if they get scratched.
Too much scratching and biting from your ferret on that spot might even cause a little bleeding, followed by an infection.
The rest of the symptoms include:
- Swelling
- Excessive licking
- Bleeding from the sores
- Discolored or pale skin
- Abdominal pain
- Losing fur
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Not eating enough
- Weakness
- Slow healing time
Is It A Must To Remove Mast Cell Tumors And What Threats Does It Pose?
It depends on the body of the host and the tumor itself. Some ferrets survive the tumor once it gets removed, but many other ferrets have to face life-threatening situations.
Remove a mast cell tumor is necessary. If you won’t remove it, the body will have internal discharge, because of the tumor, which will mess up with the digestive system and cause infections inside and outside of the body.
Sometimes owners don’t detect the tumor in their pet and the pets survive it for months and years. But we have seen those cases too in which the symptoms of the tumor get worse within a few weeks of time.
Therefore, it is suggested that you must get it removed surgically, so your ferret does not have to put their life at risk.
Diagnosis
If you take your ferret to a weekly or monthly checkup at the vet then no doubt the tumor will be located pretty quick. During the physical examination, the vet will find the lumps built on the body and will know that it is most likely a tumor.
To confirm his doubts, the vet will perform more exams – like a biopsy of the ferret. They will take a small skin or tissue sample of the ferret where the lumps reside and do the test on it. The biopsy report will help determine whether there is a tumor present and how worse is its stage at the moment.
The vet can do the other required tests also like x-ray, urine test, blood test, and ultrasound to check the health of the ferret in other sectors. This also helps them know how much the tumor has spread throughout the body.
Treatment
The mast cell tumor is definitely curable. Just try to keep your ferret’s health in check so you can take it to the vet the moment you detect something odd.
The vet will start the treatment by doing the surgical removal of the tumor. It will be easy to get rid of the tumor if it is in an open place and the initial stage.
However, if the tumor has already spread too much inside the body or is residing at a place where it is risky to perform surgery then your doctor will choose different options.
The other options are mostly chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy is good at stopping cancer in the body as it stops the cells from spreading. But keep in mind that it can only be performed if the tumor has reached a high stage; otherwise surgery is the best option to get rid of the tumor.
Radiation therapy, on the other hand, is mostly done after the surgery has been performed.
The duo of surgery and radiation therapy works best and removes the tumor completely from the body. The last bits of tumor are ridden with the help of high radiations. Remember, the surgery can make your ferret irritated, so put all your effort into keeping them comfortable.