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The purpose of this report is to describe 2 cases of chylous ascites (CA) in ferrets. In the first patient, CA was likely secondary to an obstruction of lymphatic drainage due to lymphoma; and in the second patient, CA developed as a postoperative complication of adrenal carcinoma with multiple metastases. In both cases, CA was diagnosed based on the concentration of triglycerides and cholesterol in the abdominal fluid. Medical treatment resulted in partial remission of the CA in the first case; however, the patient suffered an acute death approximately 3 weeks following its initial presenation. In the second patient, multiple abdominocenteses were required to relieve abdominal discomfort and dyspnea. Five days after the adrenal surgery the ferret developed chylothorax and septic peritonitis, and due to its deteriorating condition was humanely euthanatized. Although the final outcomes in the 2 ferret cases were disappointing, advanced neoplastic disease, usually associated with a poor prognosis, was considered the underlying cause of CA in both patients. More studies are required in ferrets diagnosed with CA to determine proper nutritional and medical management, diagnostic tests, and surgical options. Unfortunately, there is little information describing CA in ferrets and the veterinary medical literature as a whole.

An 8-year-old spayed female domestic ferret ( Mustela putorius furo ) was presented for evaluation of anal prolapse and bilateral enlarged anal sacs. A lobulated mass in the right perianal area was detected during the physical examination. Results of diagnostic blood testing confirmed decreased glucose, potassium, and phosphorus concentrations, and increased total and ionized calcium concentrations. Complete resection of the mass was not possible owing to its nearness to the rectum and the ventral aspect of the tail. Imprint cytological preparations obtained intraoperatively were compatible with anal sac adenocarcinoma, which was confirmed by histopathologic evaluation of submitted tissue samples of the mass. Routine staging showed iliac lymph node and presumptive lung metastases; therefore, chemotherapy was initiated. This report describes a confirmed case of anal sac adenocarcinoma with metastases and hypercalcemia, managed with surgery and chemotherapy for 13 months after the patient׳s initial presentation and diagnosis.