From:
Vex@nucleus.com
Date: 2001-10-01 15:51:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Curious on Pathology Test
Thank you for relieving the liver failure, ever since Skittles has
been improving with leaps and bounds I was doubting what the pathogy
test said, I am happy to have someone else's opion that has hightened
perspective on ferret's pathology test. Your response is always
appreciated and welcomed. Again thank you! Vex
>
>
> Well, to start - it's not liver failure - not even close. The mild
> elevation in hepatic enzymes (SGPT and alk phos) are more
indicative
> of dietary irregularity and mobilization of fat to the liver -
> nothing more. Note the normal bilirubin -
>
> The leukopenia is mild at best, and does not indicate inflammatory
> disease here. If there was a marked chronic inflamamtory response,
> such as would be seen with cholangiohepatitis (which needs a biopsy
> for diagnosis) there should also be a concomitant elevation in
> globulins, which is not seen here.
>
> Ferrets do not have an intestinal parvovirus like dogs, so that
> interpretation is not valid.
>
> The hemoconcentration is only mild at best, and I think that on
> retest, it could just as easily be normal. CPK is not specific in
> ferrets, and I usually don't pay a lot of attention to it, unless
it
> is extremely high (which it is not here.)
>
> With kindest regards,
>
> Bruce Williams, DVM