From:
tjfertie
Date: 2002-06-04 12:58:00 UTC
Subject: Please help with advice and personal experience
Hi All,
I posting to ask for your help with my Yoda, 8 y/o (in July) MF
neutered
male fuzzy boy. He's got a very small bald patch on the ridge of his
head
(you know that ridge on their skull btwn the ears, it's right there)
and
he's piddling quite a bit instead of one big pee. He's not straining
in the
slightest to do these pee pees and his skin isn't irritated or scaly
where
it's bald (we're talking I had to point it out to both vets we've
seen). His
behavior has not changed a bit. If anything I am paying more
attention to
him and that's probably stressing him out. He does let me hold him
while
he's sleeping which thrills me and scares the hell out of me. I
attribute it
to his age, the fact that I have recently been gone alot and that I
am
wearing him out inspecting him every 5 minutes.
We've seen two vets regarding the things I mentioned above. Vet #1 is
a
'specialist' or very interested in, at least, ferrets (in California
that's
saying something), he's published in magazines, goes to ferret
conferences.
Vet #2 is Yoda's vet (hand holding and long drawn-out conversations
are not
only tolerated but 'free') he's a very dedicated and talented doctor
and I
like him very much. I like them both very much but know #2 much
better. My
problem is the two VERY different opinions of what's going on with
Yoda
(besides my problem of WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YODA!!??). Vet #1 thinks
it's
virtually everything, or at least could be. Thinks he's 'probably'
got
adrenal which is masking his insulinoma and some sort of liver
disease
caused by IBD and on his way to lymphoma. He suggests open biopsy if
there's
no 'mass' found on ultrasound to needle biopsy or call the whole
thing off
(too late type of deal). Vet #2 think's Yoda's an 8 yr old boy with
the
best coat he's ever seen on an 8 yr old, not that there are that many
out
there (I do know there have been adrenal cases w/o any hairloss at
all), he
thinks he's piddling because he's getting older.
Now onto the bloodwork. It took about 10 pokes and a shaved neck to
get
blood. This has never happened before but then we've never gone to
this vet
before. I am not willing to think the difficulty has anything to do
with
Yoda's health because nothing negative has been said about his
demeanor or
appearance (such as, "he 'looks, acts' sick"). Most of the abn labs
are just
barely abn and can be explained by the technically difficult draw.
The one
that vet #1 is worried about is the GGT which is 133 (he starts
worrying at
13), vet #2 says there really isn't much stock in GGT and not real
norms
defined for fuzzies (I know it's published on the WEB as such
though).
That's what's making vet #1 think liver disease, open him up and do
biopsy.
His ALT is also elevated but it has been in the past along with low
WBC and
RBC but that's probably due to the diffuclut, limited blood draw as
the
percentages were fine.
Oh, I am just so confused! I have the whole week off, I was willing
to do
adrenal surgery on him but I am not willing to open him up to do a
biopsy.
Vet #1 would like an ultrasound to 'make sure' there's no raging
cancer
before he opens him up and vet #2 says an ultrasound is "OK",
specially to
look at the bladder, prostate, liver. They have both sort of moved
away from
adrenal vet #1 into this exploration and vet #2 says repeat the CBC
in a
week and go from there. I am so confused. I am going to go with the
Ultrasound by a radiologist on thursday and also another CBC by vet
#2.
I guess one of my 'other' issues is that vet #1 probably has done
MANY more
ferret surgeries but I do so like my vet, vet #2 and he's done quite
a few
and I want both of their opinions but now there's some controversy as
to
who's office should do the ultrasound because they don't want to be
interpreting each other's Radiologist's findings.
Is this making any sense? Does this sound like the ramblings of a
woman who
haas been sleeping next to Yoda's cage since friday to count how many
times
he pees and eats during the night!! It's 1245 PCT and Yoda hasn't
eaten yet
but then neither have the other two fuzzies who aren't under the
microscope...Please ANY "I woulds..." would be helpful.
Thanks so very much.