From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-02-26 09:49:00 UTC
Subject: Re: ECE Question
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., FERRETNT@a... wrote:
> My vet. had a necropsy performed on Buddy right away after he
died. I asked
> for
> the necrospy on him because I thought that the most accurate
results would
> come
> from a ferret that had just died. My vet. did not waste any time
getting
> Buddy to
> the Idexx Veterinary Services Lab. I sent <sukiecrandal> a more
detailed
> description from the lab report, but here is the shortened
version: "After
> microscopic and macroscopic evaluation of tissues, the most
significant
> changes were limited to the gastrointestinal tract. The reactive
and
> inflammatory changes found throughout the intestines are
nonspecific, but are
> felt to be characteristic of ferret episodic catarrhal enteritis.
No
> evidence of other intercurrent disease processes or specific
predisposing
> factors were found in the tissues evaluated." My vet. made himself
> available to me 24 hours a day because I was having such a
tremendous problem
> with the kids. I fed, and feed, the ferrets Totally Ferret and
keep the
> ferrets up-to-date on their shots and physicals. The ferrets are
kept
> indoors and only have
> outside contact with selected individuals with whom they have had
contact
> most
> of their lives.
Dear Nancy:
Could you please post more information on the pathology report - the
changes of ECE are indeed specific and characteristic, and were not
mentioned here. I believe there is a tendency now for pathologists
to make their diagnoses baseed on the clinical history, which is
something that a pathologist should never do. But to give them the
benefit of the doubt here, perhaps there is more to the report than
it seems.
Additionally, there is nothing to say that these selected individuals
cannot have recently been infected with something and brought it into
your hours from contact with OTHER ferrets which you have never
seen. The history of having had safe contact with these ferrets over
the years should not be considered protection from illness when the
come over a second, third, or fourth time.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM