My senior ferret is scratching a tumor. What can I do to help?

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I would not use anti-itch cream. It is not harmful I just don't think it is the best thing to use. Using something like this wound gel would be better. ( ) When you look for a vet definitely get one that is used to treating ferrets. Also be sure you have him on a premium diet like Marshall's or Mazuri. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/basic-ferret-feeding-nutrition/ ) ( http://www.mazuri.com/mazuriferretdiet-1.aspx ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I'm sorry to hear about Scratchy not feeling well. I think your best step is to have him examined by your vet in person first to confirm what the mass is, and then go from there. Your vet can help you determine if it would be OK for him to undergo surgery (via general exam, bloodwork, health history, etc), or if supportive care is a better option.

Poor Gannan! It would be great if at a bare minimum you could get some pain medication on board for him. Hopefully your vet will dispense an anti-inflammatory or opiate pain medication to you so that you can treat his pain during this tough time. There are very inexpensive options out there for pain meds and this is what I suggest to people who don't have a lot of money to spend or who don't believe in euthanasia.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I'm sorry you and Pitoune are dealing with this. Please be advised that to prevent this from happening to future pets, they need to be spayed before their first heat cycle. The chance of getting mammary tumors is virtually zero when a female dog is spayed young. It is very difficult for me to tell the orientation of what is going on in this photo. I'm assuming the photo is of the abdomen since you said they are mammary tumors but again, it is hard to tell what is going on based on this one photo. You are not going to get these to clear up and will likely only get worse; they are malignant cancer. They will only stop weeping when she stops scratching them. All you can do is exactly what you are doing although I don't think you should blow dry them - it is very easy to burn the skin making it worse. Everything else you are doing is fine. I'm not sure what you are using to cover her but I suggest a recovery suit and to put a feminine maxi pad between the skin lesions and the suit to catch any discharge. This protective layer should stop her from traumatizing the area. You can also put a human baby sock on her back feet so it covers the nails so if she does scratch she cannot hurt the area. ( https://www.amazon.com/s?k=surgery+suit+small+dog&crid=ZTVVO4IRU78L&sprefix=surgery+suit+small+dog%2Caps%2C120&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 ) If they are worsening I suggest you speak to your vet about possibly increasing the dose of Prednisone. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello. A ferret that is pruritic ( itchy ) without signs of ectoparasites ( fleas, lice ) is adrenal gland disease until proven otherwise. It is not uncommon for very itchy ferrets to have no obvious signs of hair loss. Occasional, cutaneous mast cell tumors can be very pruritic. These are almost always benign in ferrets & removal is curative. I would encourage you to have your ferrets evaluated by a veterinarian & have some diagnostic tests done to find the underlying cause of the itching. Then appropriate treatment can be started. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is important to find out why they are itching first before putting anything on them. They could be suffering from a mite infection, a fungal or a bacterial infection. All of these cause serious itch and each of these is treated differently. Please take your ferrets to your vet for an exam to determine why they are itching. Mites itch terribly, the skin gets scabby and fur gets lost. Mites are easily treated with avermectin injections. A fungal infection may need oral medications or antifungal shampoo or both and a bacterial infection is usually treated with oral antibiotics.

Yes, gently cleaning with warm water or a mild soap should be fine. But aggressive cleaning might remove the scab and it will bleed again. The mast cell tumors release histamine which can cause it to itch, scratch and bleed. As long as the lesion remains small and doesn't bleed too much, you can wait and monitor. The surgery itself is very simple and quick and they heal well. Good luck.