From:
meesh meesh
Date: 2001-08-19 12:28:00 UTC
Subject: Thank You: Dr. Pollock & Dr. Murray ;
Diarrhea-Questions/thoughts
Just a quick thank you to Dr. Pollock (and Sukie) for
the reference to partial pancreatectomies. Seems my
personal library of that journal started shortly after
that edition. I'll check it out at the library. Thanks
Also, thank you to Dr. Murray regarding "being between
a rock and a hard place" with Mighty Mouse's surgery.
I've since discovered that her AI is "moderate" and
that the OSU exotics department have been seeing many
geriatric ferrets with AI as an incidental finding.
Unfortunately, all have died of other causes and none
have lived long enough to see if this AI would have
become clinical. Right now, Mighty Mouse's heart is
only very slightly enlarged. The difference between
two sets of radiographs taken about 4 months apart is
just a little more than the difference one would see
between expiration and inspiration. No CHF and
luckily, the echo showed her fractional shortening is
normal. As for anesthesia, my thoughts (and one of
the surgeons) were similar (only use sevo - we have
that). Unfortunately, the Anestesiology department
*always* premeds animals before surgery in order to
decrease various effects of gas anesthetics like
cardiodepressant effects etc. I have mixed feelings
about premeds in her case. I do know that we have had
to mask her down with sevo to get blood ever since a 2
week stint in ICU 2 years ago (she's fed up basically
:) ) and she's recovered so quickly, it amazes me.
Right now, I'm treating her with Turkey baby food
and Turkey and Barley Pro Plan kibble (the barley is
pearled barley which has a low glycemic index - though
corn follows it on the ingredient list) and at the
next recheck I'm going to reradiograph her chest,
check her heart and decide if I will risk surgery.
The only other issue I'm having a problem with is her
diarrhea. I'm still at a loss for her (now 8 month)
progressive waxing and waning diarrhea with occcult
blood. I've tested for everything short of biopsies
and treated empirically for ulcers, stress, etc. I
thought I was having possible mild success with <1
week of sulfasalazine until yesterday. Still occult
positive and on any given day I'll have fairly
normally formed stools (though often seedy if she's
eaten kibble) and totally unformed very loose stools.
In fact, yesterday, I was home most of the day, and I
know when she ate and when she defecated and she had a
jar of baby food in her for 7 hours and then had her
first defecation after that feeding and it was looser
than anything I've seen all week. <shrug>. She has
had ultrasounds and nothing unusual has been seen and
she's fat and sassy and not losing weight. I've read
all I can and she fits nothing I've read. I can't
think of anything else to empirically treat with in
her situation. Azathiaprine seems too strong a med to
treat empirically with, and pred is risky for two
reasons: her heart, and if I don't do surgery, she'll
need it for her insulinoma soon enough.
If you have any ideas or thoughts, or anything
unusual anyone has had success with for diarrhea
(likely colitis from the consistency), I'd love to
hear about it.
Thanks again for all your help,
Michaela Maurice
College of Veterinary Medicine
Ohio State University
Class of 2002
=====
*** If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams,
and endeavours to lead a life which they have imagined,
They will meet a success unexpected in common hours.
Henry David Thoreau ***
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