From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-03-31 21:40:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Lymphoma and not eating
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Mary Baum" <mbaum@a...> wrote:
> My six and one half year old ferret Arni has eating problems.
Early in the morning on March 20 I hear Arni vomiting in his cage. I
called the vet and got an appointment that morning suspecting a
blockage. The vet thought that it was probably an ulcer and
prescribed amoxi and metronidazole every twelve hours plus pepto and
to call back it he was not better soon. There was no change so he
was scheduled for x-ray and blood test on the 25th. The x-ray showed
no masses and the blood test showed only low blood glucose (67) but
normal insulin levels and some anemia. Another vet in the practice
called me on the 28th to bring Arni in on the 29th. I did and he
said Arni has lymphoma and administered two shots of steroids to
shrink the tumors.
Dear Mary -
I agree with Mike on this one - from your information, I cannot see
how a diagnosis of lymphoma was made. With a negative radiograph,
and no bloodwork changes, I couldn't make this diagnosis, much less
administer an injection of steroids.
A major gap in the therapy here appers to be that nothing for ulcers
was adminstered (although I see that the emergency vet prescribed
Carafate - good for her!)
Egarding your question on intestinal lymphoma, it has the poorest
prognosis and lowest survival times of all - as it is generally well
advanced before diagnosis. I don't want to scare you, as it appears
based on what you have said that this case was hastily diagnosed and
I don't have much confidence in the diagnosis.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM