URGENT! Possible pneumonia?

[Barefoot Instincto]

My ferret, only 2 and a half years old, has come down with a serious condition this last week. Just coming back from the vet now, he explained to me after x rays that the lungs should be a dark colour, instead only 10 percent of them are and the rest is white.

He said it could be a number of things. Something wrong with the heart, a tumor in or around the lungs, or pneumonia. Right now they're taking fluid out of the cavity and sending it for testing.

Problem is, he did not give her a good outcome for short or long term. He made it sound like she's going to die tomorrow, and its true her breathing is very laboured.

I'm not sure what to do except to have her on the grass outside as much as I can, and to give her any medications they prescribe. I'm sort of having a massive breakdown here. I thought I'd have many more years with her.

Any help? I think the main issue right now is fluid backup! Mainly caused by inflammation due to something I would assume.

[LePatron7]

You could try feeding them RAF. However I'm going to suggest an alternative course of action you may not want to hear.

I've had family members with beloved pets that get sick and they end up spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to get them better, only for them to die in the end.

The medical care provided to animals is generally no better than the medical care provided for humans. Generally they're very expensive, and very ineffective.

At the end of the event, my family member was thousands in the hole, with nothing to show for it. After the incident she explained that if it were to happen again (ie with their next pet), she'd put them down.

[Barefoot Instincto]

They already eat raw animal foods.

The vet was only able to get a small bit of red fluid from her chest. He says this heavily suggests a tumor. Is there anything I can do? I have her home with me tonight but the vet says she won't last long. Is there no hope of reversal at this point, at least when it comes to a ferret?

[jessica]

I had a rat whose tumor I paid to have "removed", only to have the other rat smother it during its sleep on return from the vet.

[Barefoot Instincto]

It didn't turn out well. I took her back to get euthanized a few hours after taking her home. She was in a lot of pain and was breathing terribly hard. I spent some time with her, and took her outside for awhile. She ran around pretty good and enjoyed herself I think. Today I buried her in the forest.

I feel like the situation was really fucked up and so sudden. It felt like I killed her by doing what I did, but the vet said she would die anyway. There's that part of me that thinks that if I had let her be, she may have reversed course. The vet was almost certain it was a tumor in her chest, and that she would die very soon. Her breathing had been incredibly laboured for days, and she was only using 10 percent of her lungs. It would have dissolved into terrible suffering as she gasped to breathe.

I dunno, just a really messed up thing to happen right now. Life seems so fragile to me now in this moment. I have extremely sad feelings for my other ferret and how alone she'll be now. I need to attempt to connect with other ferret owners so my girly can have some company. Not sure where to find them!

[cherimoya_kid]

I need to attempt to connect with other ferret owners so my girly can have some company. Not sure where to find them!

I'm sorry about your ferret.  It sounds like you really loved her.  You might want to go to your local pet store and see if they will let you post a notice for local ferret owners to contact you so your remaining ferret can have friends to play with.

There are probably some online forums for ferret owners too.