From:
AFERRETVET@cs.com
Date: 2002-03-13 16:45:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] help sick ferret.
Hi Sunny,
Itchy skin, hair loss on the tail are suggestive of adrenal gland
disease. An enlarged spleen is common in ferrets. It may be from
the adrenal gland disease and anemia causing the spleen to produce
red blood cells (extramedullary hematopoiesis). This is very common.
It may be from cancer (lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma,etc), or from
hypersplenism. Next steps can be a fine needle aspirate, ultrasound
exam, or surgery (to biopsy or to remove the spleen), but my gut
feeling
is the enlarged spleen is secondary to the adrenal gland disease.
Yet hypersplenism is also a possibility.
A fine needle aspirate may help with telling these 2 possibilities
apart.
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM