From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2001-12-06 22:27:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Bob C: Proposal for vets
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Bob C <rrc961@m...> wrote:
> I have a proposal for all the vets and vet techs on the list:
>
> I would like to make a series of microphotographs illustrating
ferret
> red and white blood cells. I also wish to beginning building a data
base
> of ferret hematological values for male and female ferrets,
different
> aged ferrets, whole v. neutered ferrets, and ferrets suffering
various
> illnesses. > If this project has enough support, I will consider
buying time on serum
> chemistry machines and start building a similar data base for
ferret
> chemistry profiles. I would also consider urine analysis. The
benefits
> of this type of research is that we--collectively--may notice a
> differential shift in certain ferret diseases, making a simple
blood
> smear from a few drops of blood a diagnostic tool for the vet. For
> example, I suspect a blood smear made from a few drops of blood
could
> tell a vet, within a few moments, if a ferret was anemic because of
> bleeding, estrogen exposure, or cancer. We would have a large data
base
> of ferret hematology values, ranging over a typical ferret
lifespan, sex
> and including changes caused by disease. Who knows what we can
learn.
> Maybe all we get get is a good understanding of ferret blood values
and
> a few pretty pictures. But even that isn't so bad; how many current
> ferret vet books show pictures of ferret blood?
Bob - I would strongly support this type of project from a number of
points, including some that you have brought up, including the need
for good photos of ferret blood cells (one of many things that I have
not gotten around to - but those are too numerous to count at this
point.)
I would be happy to assist you in interpretation of values and case
materials, although we need to realize a few things going in - 1)
this should not be a substitute for a good diagnostic workup at a
vet - especially if the initial phase is looking solely at CBCs. The
idea here is to look for previously unnoticed trends over a broad
base of cases, not to try to make diagnoses on individual cases where
the clinician is having a difficult time, and 2) these samples
should be accompanied by all supporting clinical data and history for
independent evaluation. This would suggest that samples in which
there is no clinical diagnosis should be excluded, at least in the
early phases of data collection.
The key here is that it must be viewed as research by the FHL
participants toward the long-term good of ferrets, and not as a
diagnostic service.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams