From:
coyote@macrophile.com
Date: 2001-04-23 08:38:00 UTC
Subject: Eosinophilic Enteritis- Another ferret's routine
Hello to all. I thought to post here in regards to my ferret with EE.
I know that Karen has been fighting with EE in her RinkyDink, but I
thought perhaps another's experience might also be helpful.
History: Christopher is a MF blaze male, born approx 10/98. In 9/00,
he presented with runny, mucousy stools, dehydration, inappetance and
tooth grinding. He lost half his weight, going from 3lbs to 1.5lbs.
CBC showed severe anemia (sorry, I don't have those #s handy). A left
adrenal was felt on palpation. He was put on Clavamox, Pepcid and
Petinic supplement and sub-q fluids were begun. He continued to
decline so surgery was performed. The left adrenal was removed (size
of a largish pea). The intestines were found to be discolored (brown
& necrotic looking) and congested. There were 'lumps and bumps' on
them as well. ADV or lymphoma was suspected. Biopsies were taken of
everything. Results: adrenal was non-malignant adenoma; intestinal
sections diagnosed as lymphocytic plasmacytic enteritis. A urine
stick showed proteins in the urine. A urine cytology was run which
diagnosed eosinophilic inflamation(!). A fecal culture revealed a
concurrent staphlococcus intermedius infection. An ADV test was
negative.
Obviously, Christopher was very sick. We made trips to the vet on a
weekly basis for almost 2 months before all results were in and Chris
spent a number of days in a travel cage under my desk at work. He was
treated according to Fox's suggestion with prednisone and a round of
ivermectin. Clavamox was given for the staph infection and a round of
metronidazole in the off chance of helicobacter.
In addition to the meds, Chris was switched to a bland diet. It is
believed that there may be either an allergic or a parasitic root to
eosinophilic enteritis. Ivermectin addresses the parasitic problem. A
change in food addressed the allergic. I understand that chicken and
wheat are the 2 most common food allergies for ferrets (I trust my
source on this one but am always open to more info!) so ProPlan
Turkey & Barley Cat Food was offered. (Note: most foods have chicken
in them, even the beef or lamb ones) Chris took to it immediately and
ate like a pig. Prozyme Enzymatic Powder was added to the ProPlan to
aid in absorption of nutrients.
With the combination of prednisone, ProPlan Turkey & Barley and
Prozyme, Christopher has recovered almost completely. He has gained
weight and he eats and drinks well. His stool is generally normal,
tho copious. He must be caged separately but can join in play-time
with no concern beyond keeping him out of the others' food (a mix of
TF Senior, Ferret Store brand and 8 in 1 Ultimate). He cannot be
weaned completely from the pred but he is now stable on .5cc every
other day. He does have occasional bad spells, usually after getting
into the regular mix in spite of precautions (there's always bits of
food stashed in cages and I don't always get them all). His poops go
bad, he grinds his teeth and he becomes dehydrated. I sub-q but do
not change his routine beyond that. The spells usually only last a
couple of days.
Obviously, the course of this disease is different for each ferret
and what works for one may not work for another. I just want to put
this out there as an example of one routine that worked for one
ferret. Christopher is feeling fine and dancing like a maniac.
Thank you for reading.
Anastasia Kidd