From:
ferretkrazi
Date: 2002-01-28 12:12:00 UTC
Subject: Sick Ferret, Unknown Cause, Please Help!
My ferret Lynx has been sick since last Wednesday. He has a long
health history but I will make it short.
7/17/00 - Left Adrenalectomy and diagnosed via biopsy with Mild
Chronic IBD
11/10/00 - Right Adrenalectomy
6/1/01 - Ectoptic Adrenalectomy, Splenectomy because of a tumor on
the spleen, Partial Pancreatectomy with 3 tumors removed and 25% of
pancreas.
Has repeatedly tested negative on ADV tests - both on ELISA and CEP.
7/3/01 - Blood Glucose came back at 117
He will not eat kibble because of IBD, but will eat soup on his own.
Current Meds: DOCP 0.2 ccs every three weeks
BORN: August 14, 1996 - Age 5 years 5 months
Now to the current situation... I was sick with the flu from 1/17 to
1/20. Last Wednesday night (1/23) Lynx was not feeling well & didn't
want to play. He felt warm like he had a small fever but didn't
register one on the thermometer taken under the armpit. I thought
perhaps he had picked up my flu so I separated him from the others
and put him in an isolation cage. Thursday afternoon he seemed to
have a text book insulinoma episode. I treated it with 0.5 ccs of
karo, followed about 15 minutes later with soup. For the next 4
days, the following symptoms have been on-going: Excess salivation,
wobbly, flat-ferreting, refusal to eat soup, diarrhea, occaissional
vomiting (though not in the last 48 hours), squinty-eyed about 65% of
the time. He's obviously not feeling well.
He went to a very ferret knowledgeable vet on Saturday morning. (She
is on this list and might have a few things to add herself.) The
symptoms seem like a textbook insulinoma case to me all except for
him not responding to the karo syrup. Nothing seems to stop the
salivation, wobblyness, etc. She ran blood work on Lynx who at that
time had a 3 hour fast. Values are as follows:
Hematology
WBC: 5.34 m/mm3
Lym.: 41.1%
Mon.: 4.1%
Gra: 54.8%
Lym: 2.17 m/mm3
Mon: 0.21 m/mm3
Gra: 2.96 m/mm3
RBC: 6.46 m/mm3
MCV: 49.6 fl
Hct: 32.0 %
MCH: 16.0 pg
MCHC: 32.5 g/dl
RDW: 8.6
Hb: 10.4 g/dl
PLT: 263 m/mm3
MPV: 7.0 fl
Pct: 0.18 %
PDW: 12.4
Biochemistry
BUN: 16.0 mg/dl
Crea: 1.4 mg/dl
Glucose: 138 mg/dl
ALT: 64 U/l
Na+: 145 mmol/l
K+: 5.0 mmol/l
TCO2: 27 mmol/l
She said that the red blood cell count is a little low because the
blood was slightly clotted so those values were nothing to be alarmed
about. His electrolyte ratio came back at 29 but it might have been
lower since he was given his DOCP shot Friday evening. (He was
actually due for it on Saturday.)
Diagnosis is that his electrolytes were probably low which caused his
to have these problems. She also suggested that the excess
salivation might be due to nausea. There were no ulcerations in the
mouth and though his teeth were dirty, there was no gum inflammation
or infection. Temperature was taken rectally and it was normal.
Upon palpation, she noted that his stomach seemed tender but that she
couldn't feel any nodules, strange lumps or blockages.
With nothing more to do than wait for the DOCP to take effect, she
recommended that Lynx be placed on 1/4 tablet of Pepcid twice a day
to help him stop grinding. Saturday night he was still salivating
very heavily. Out of fear that it was an insulinomic episode from
which he would not recover, I purchased a glucometer and tested
Lynx. After about a 5 hour fast, his BG registered at 96. Normal.
This just looks SO much like insulinoma!
As of this morning, Lynx's symptoms have not subsided. I'm a very
concerned mom but I don't know what else this could be. PLEASE, does
ANYONE know what could be causing this? He's not a chewer and hasn't
shed in a long while so I don't think we're looking at a blockage
here. His poops are runny but he IS on a liquid diet. I've added
extra water lately to make sure he stays hydrated.
Can anyone help us please?
Many Thanks,
Erin
PS. If my vet would like to add anything, please do! Thanks!