UPDATE ON FERRET LYMPHOMA

Lymphoma is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in ferrets in the USA.1 A viral etiology of the disease, like the viral leukemia in cats, has recently been proposed2 but no scientific evidence of this proposed etiology exists to date. Unfortunately, in spite of the frequency of occurrence, lymphoma is one of the more difficult diseases to accurately diagnose. Two distinct forms of this disease are commonly discussed in the literature. The first is the ‘juvenile ’ form, which usually affects ferrets younger than 2-3 years. It is also known as the ‘lymphoblastic ’ form. In this case, many visceral organs are infiltrated by lymphocytes with resulting enlargement of these organs. The most common presentation is a young ferret with respiratory distress. This is due to significan