From:
"ulrike"
Date: 2002-11-10 15:59:58 UTC
Subject: RE: [ferrethealth] Re: Last Zac update-suggestions!
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <GKEEKHEAPINKKKONGBAGMEKACAAA.ferretlove@ntlworld.com>
Hi Angela
Zac didn't have insulinoma and he was on a drip so he had glucose going into
him. He had the surgery to remove the blockage on Tuesday and Wednesday he
was eating a special convalescent diet really well. He was still eating it
Thursday so he couldn't have had a low blood sugar and then Thursday
afternoon he deteriorated and Friday early evening he was put to sleep. We
wonder whether he had a blood clot which went to the brain. Because he'd
developed a blood clot in his abdomen when the vet injured a blood vessel or
artery or something. Maybe some clot was in the blood vessel and went to
the brain or heart or something. My Tom screamed the day we had him put to
sleep, it was the most horrendous thing I'd ever heard... He'd lost use of
his (hind) legs and the last day couldn't move at all so we'd already booked
him in to be put to sleep and then he stars screaming... I wonder whether
he'd had something wrong with his brain or a spinal tumour, x-rays didn't
show anything...
Zac didn't have seizures I don't think, they'd be obvious, right? Not that
he had a seizure and didn't show it and all he did was scream? He was full
of pain killers and was still screaming so I hope it wasn't pain... But he
looked sooo ill when we saw him, it wouldn't have been fair to keep him
going. I just wish it hadn't happened. Or if only we knew what was
wrong... I'm still finding this hard to cope with even though he wasn't my
ferret. He was only 3 and it's not like he had cancer, a reason for dying.
All he did have was a blockage which could have been prevented and then he
recovered seemingly well and then for some reason he went downhill and
really suffered. It seems so unfair...
Ulrike
West Wales Ferret Welfare
E-mail: ulrike@ferretlove.co.uk
http://www.ferretlove.co.uk
Last update 26/09/02
> Hello Ulrike,
> So sorry little Zac did not make it, after all the hard work
> you, your friend and the vet did to help him!
> Of all the ferrets I have had, the only ones that ever
> 'screamed' were those with insulinoma, or distemper. In
> retrospect was he checked for hypoglycemia, was he on any
> prednisone, I can't remember what you had written in your
> previous posts? If he wasn't eating then his blood sugar would be
> really low and when seizuring ferrets tend to scream!
> On the otherhand if he was seizuring for any other reason it
> would also cause him to scream, as in the case of ferrets with
> distemper, when the brain is affected!---Angela.