Abstract
A 4-year-old spayed ferret was presented with a chief complaint of anorexia for 3 days. Physical examination and abdominal radiography revealed a very large mass in the left kidney region. A laparotomy revealed that the mass occupied the entire abdominal cavity and was severely adhered to the adjoining organs. Because the left kidney was buried in the mass, a combined resection with the kidney was performed. The left adrenal gland was not found during the surgery. Microscopic examination of the mass revealed a well-differentiated neoplasm derived from all three germ cell layers. The neoplasm contained various mature tissues including the skin and skin appendages, bone, cartilage, nervous system, intestinal epithelium, and optic cup-like structures. From these findings, the neoplasm was diagnosed as a teratoma. No adrenal tissue was seen in the neoplatic tissue. The origin of the teratoma remained unclear. The left adrenal gland was suspected as the origin, because it was not found during the surgery.
