From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2002-09-04 15:55:49 UTC
Subject: abnormal stomach and small intestine questions
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <p05111700b99bd8962dc5@[10.0.1.20]>
I hope I express myself well enough. I'm exhausted and wil have to
go crach after being up late last night and ealrythis morning.
Scooter had surgery again to day. He's 5 and 1/2 and it's eitehr his
5th or 6th surgery. This is a little guy who was given to us due to
deformities. He's also got IBD, has been through ECE and
helicobacter.
He has a very enlarged stomach, and each time they go in it is
larger, withit each time be larger and more flaccid than each time
before. The last time it was larger than any of the treating vets
ahd seen in a ferret so you can imagine now with it even bigger. His
liever is even adhered to it now. It's getting different in texture
-- sounds like maybe thicker and rougher but still flaccid, and his
small intestine has acquired a weird rippling but ohterwise looks
healthy. I didn't ask if it could be a muscle tone disease as part
of it. They think that possibly it's a combination of disease on top
of existing deformity. His stomach can not move anythign through
properly so he needs long fasts before surgery and he gets furball
exceedingly easily -- even everydsay normal fur ingestion fur just
cant get out. There turned oout to be a possible ectopic adrenal
secondary to the right one when the lump which appears to be a fatty
offshoot of the mesentary was removed so that extra adrenal tissue
came out, too, though the original R adrenal remains and of course,
he had new biopsies of his duodenum and stomach, nad a strange
looking node removed : 5 pieces to go for pathology.
The vets are now worried that his stomach and its malfunctions also
make him a candidate for megaesophagus, nad we are to start giving
only small meals nad giving those with him being vertical.
As usual, I am always willing to hear anythign which might be useful
brain storming on this, though I know that his situaion is unusual.
He'll likely come home very late tonight by vet choice becuase he's
going to need extremely careful post-op care and the vet cant' stay
there tonight (plus the vet lives closer to us than to the hospital),
so I'd better go get some sleep now so that I can be awke enough for
him during a late night and early morning shift.
We have consistently found that of the rescues who join our household
the ones with deformities are the hardeest ones to provide care for
and need the most.
Sevie is also in there today for follow=up testing on her Complete
A/V Heart Node Block, but that wil be done later today.