From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-05-25 06:51:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Enlarged Bronchioles
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "mari_orellano" <mari_orellano@y...>
wrote:
> I'm hoping someone can assist me with Conan's ailment.
> Conan is our four-year old ferret, and approximately three weeks ago
> we discovered him dangling his head outside of his hammock and
> drooling. He will then began panting, and be quite lethargic.
> The vet. advised that he has enlarged bronchioles, something she
has
> only see in cats and would have to get back with me on the matter.
> Can anyone shed any light??
Dear Mai:
The description of enlarged bronchioles is a bit difficult to
interpret without seeing the radiographs, and without a lot of
expertise in ferret radiography, I would consider this a bit suspect -
expecially without history of difficulty breathing or coughing.
The usual cause for this finding is an increase in the diameter of
the bronchioles due to the presence of inflammation (int he trade, we
call these "doughnuts". The wall of the bronchiole is thicker than
normal, and so it shows up much more distinctly on the radiography.
This is commonly seen in cats with long-term feline asthma, and a
good ferret vet can make this distinction in ferrets with asthma as
well (but it usually should be correlated with appropriate clinical
signs which do not appear in this case.
I like the suggestion of insulinoma here, as it fits the clinical
signs much better.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM