Epidemiological survey of neoplasms in ferrets : 856 cases (2000-2010)

Introduction: Ferrets are among the most common non-conventional companion animals and seem to be particularly prone to tumour development. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of neoplasms in Italian ferrets. Materials and Methods: Biopsy samples and necropsy specimens submitted between 2000 and 2010 were included. Signalment and histopathology were retrieved from the electronic archives of the veterinary pathology service of the University of Milan. The total number of submitted samples was used to calculate the prevalence of neoplasms. Results: A total of 908 ferret samples were received of which 688 included at least one tumour (75.8%). Ferrets with multiple neoplasms were common, thus a total of 856 tumours were collected. Age ranged from 5 months to 10 years. Female:male ratio was 0.99. Endocrine (63.8%), integumentary (14.7%) and haemolymphoid (8.9%) systems were most commonly affected. A higher frequency of adrenal gland (25.8%), pancreatic islet cell (24.9%) and mast cell tumours (5.8%) was noted. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) occurred together with sebaceous gland tumours. Twenty-one abdominal spindle cell tumours with primary undefined origin were observed (2.6%). Conclusion: Prevalence of tumours recorded in this study paralleled previous findings. The unusual association between SCC and sebaceous gland neoplasms, and the origin of intra-abdominal spindle cell neoplasms should be investigated further.