From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-01-29 16:27:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Sick Ferret, Unknown Cause, Please Help!
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "ferretkrazi" <erin.simkins@e...>
wrote:
> 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
Erin:
Bloodwork looks pretty good all in all, and we're not looking at
insulinoma here.
Salivating (nausea), tooth grinding, anorexia, tender stomach,
lethargy - once you take out a lot of the other stuff -
I'm putting an ulcer at the top of my list here.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM