Message Number: YG14258 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Pam Sessoms
Date: 2002-06-27 13:50:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Re: Itchy skin

Thanks for the excellent save, Sukie!

Yeah, a full blood panel is a great idea. My Willard actually was very
itchy when he had a liver tumor (hepatocellular carcinoma), so I should
have put together liver trouble as a possibility. He was *sick*,
though... I suspect Michele's vet has already done a good external exam
since she has had the fuzzy in already... Kidney trouble in humans can
cause itching, imagine it may in ferrets as well. Benadryl, etc, great
ideas too...

One thing, be sure to ask for a CBC/chem or to include a chemistry screen.
Technically, a CBC is just a complete blood cell count (white cells, red
cells, etc) and does not include things like liver and kidney values. I
had a problem with this once, many years ago, while communicating about
some tests to a veterinary receptionist. It was a mess - the needed
values were liver and kidneys which are part of the chem screen, but only
a CBC was ordered, and so the wrong tests were run; luckily the lab still
had the blood to run the needed tests on the second time around. Wheee!

-Pam.

On Thu, 27 Jun 2002, sukieferret wrote:
>
> Yes, but I think I'd check some other things, too, like liver health
> and such, so at the same time I'd have blood pulled for a CBC. Liver
> disease can cause itching and sometimes tiny blisters, skin disease
> can, parasites can, allergies can, tension can, etc. It is something
> that has a number of possible causes. If the adrenal panel and CBC
> come out okay I think I'd be curious if Benedryl has an effect, if/
> once vet okays trying that, but first I'd personally want to make sure
> that there are no bigger problems. I am trying to recall if kidney
> disease causes itching ever, part of me thinks it might but I am
> completely unsure.