Message Number: SG1858 | New FHL Archives Search
From: "Shelley Knudsen"
Date: 2002-10-16 03:07:51 UTC
Subject: Re: Pred substitute
To: <fuzzytailsoftexas@yahoo.com>, <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <003601c274c1$5bc459a0$3045abcd@sknudsen>

Hi!

Azathioprine (Imuran) is currently used in conjunction with prednisone for =
treatment of IBD in ferrets, apparently with pretty good results from what =
I read in past digests. I have actually been doing a lot of research on th=
is in the past few days, as one of my ferrets once again decided to try and=
help me out in vet school by getting a new disease that I'm not familiar w=
ith. (I really wish they would stop doing that! :-( ) There is also a ne=
w drug currently in use in human medicine that seems to have really good re=
sults, infliximab, however, it is very very very expensive, so probably won=
't see it in ferret medicine anytime soon. And actually, azathioprine does=
have some serious side effects, it can cause bone marrow suppresion, and a=
few other nasty things, but with something like IBD, sometimes the benefit=
s outweigh the potential side effects, bad though they may be.

Dooks to your fuzzies,
Shelley Knudsen
Class of 2004 KSU Veterinary College
ferrets@kansas.net sknudsen@vet.ksu.edu
http://www.tcgcs.com/~ferrets
785-565-9041 cel402-984-4217

"There ain't no limit in this life to how far you can get,
but if you're going all the way, you gotta break a sweat."
- Chad Brock