From:
Cyndy Nelson
Date: 2001-06-24 02:35:09 UTC
Subject: Re: question
Well we saw the vet. He took one look at my guy and said,
"Well first of all, he is adrenal." I asked, how do you know
for sure? He said, his tail is bald. DUH! But as far as I
knew, there are some other reasons it can be, but I let that
one go. Then as we were getting ready to do the urine needle
aspiration, (or whatever it is called), I asked him if he was
going to do blood work, like a Tennessee Panel. He didn't
know what a Tennessee panel was, but then some of the terms
that are used, he doesn't use. He is very into "book
knowledge". So I asked him if he had heard of the cryosurgery
for the right adrenal. He said no, but he does do cryosurgery
for other things.
Then...we talked about a couple of things I read on the
internet and he said, "I wish I had so much spare time to
spend on the internet". It wasn't said in a nice way either.
Grrrrr....he makes me so mad. He is the only exotics vet
around except for a new one to town, but when calling their
office, the girl there didn't even know what insolinoma, or
adrenal was...so I didn't opt to go there.
My question now is, do we really have to have blood work? I
can insist on it, but it will make him mad. He thinks the
info off the internet is half bogus, and the rest is not
really reliable. Not a great bedside manner. He is a great
surgeon. He preformed a c-section on one of my guinea pigs,
and a bladder stone removal on another, and assisted and a bad
baby delivery ( baby was already dead). So I have seen his
work and he is a mobile vet, and I have been in the mobile
unit many times. It is impeccably clean and he keeps great
records. He just constantly irritates me though!
My little guy is going to be scheduled for surgery as soon as
he looks at the urine sample under a microscope to make sure
there isn't a infection or problem with that to clear up
first. So I will know more tomorrow.
Now to find a nice extra cage for him to stay in. He is the
hammock king and will not understand having one. I assume he
shouldn't be climbing around those first few days.
Thanks,
Cyndy
From: Ferret-Health-list@yahoogroups.com
To: Ferret-Health-list@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2001 3:12 AM
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 10
From: "Bruce Williams, DVM" <williams@ex-pressnet.com>
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Cyndy Nelson"
<cyndynelson@h...>
wrote:
>
> Hello All-
>
> I don't post much (not at all lately) but have a vet
appointment on
Monday and would like some input before then.
>
> I have a little guy that hasn't had hair on his tail for
about a
year. The hair starts to grow back and falls out. He has
many
blackheads that are difficult to get rid of. I don't know
his
history, although a gal that runs a shelter in Seattle
looked at him
and said he looked like he had been malnutritioned. He eats
well,
and is a major sleeper compaired to my other little gal, but
I have
decided they are all different.
>
> Lately, (last 2 weeks at the most) he only pees a very
small,
quarter sized amount. Normally he will flood the floor and
leave.
(you know ferretss, why use the box when you have the whole
kitchen
floor?) He urinates often and it looks like he is maybe
straining
somewhat. He doesn't cry out in pain, but you see the
muscles
contracting on him as he is trying to get it out.
>
> The vet wants a urine sample, and said he might have
crystals in
the urethra? Is that something common with ferrets? I have
had this
problem with one of my guinea pigs and he had bladder
surgery to
remove a stone, but I didn't know ferrets would do the same.
The vet
said we might have to stick the bladder with a syringe and
take some
urine out. (sounds awful to me)
>
> I just wondered if the two things, hairless tail and
straining to
urinate, could possibly have anything to do with each other?
>
> The poor little guy doesn't walk right, his back has a
permanent
curve in it. He can't flatten out like the girl and go
under very
low objects. I have no idea what he was fed before I got
him from
the family that didn't want him anymore. He now eats The
Ferret
Store brand food.
Dear Cyndy -
There may be a common thread here between the hair loss and
straining
to urinate. Ferrets with adrenal disease may show hair loss
(although tail hair loss is not specific) and prostatic
disease
(which compromises the ability to urinate) due to the
production of
excessive levels of estrogen. Adrenal disease should
definitely be
discussed at your Monday visit.
However, you should also realize that the two conditions may
be
totally separate events. Crystalluria is occasionall seen
in
ferrets, but today is seen much less frequently than the
dysuria of
prostate disease. Neoplasia of the lower urinary tract, to
include
the prepuce may also compromise urination, but these tumors
are quite
rare.
Cystocentesis (removing urine from the bladder via a needle
inserted
through the body wall, is a useful test which is less
traumatic then
it sounds. However, to be performed successfully, the
ferret must be
calm (sometimes lightly anesthetized, and have a full
bladder. This
test is excellent for identifying bladder infections and may
even be
useful in the diagnosis of some neoplasms. Any blood,
inflammation,
or bacteria seen in a cysto sample, by definition, MUST have
arisen
in the kidney, ureter or bladder.
Good luck on Monday
bruce williams,d VM