From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-01-07 15:01:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Could this be hyperthyroidism?
Dear Jen:
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Jen & Andre" <jen.andre@i...> wrote:
> When the doctor was performing the FNA under general anesthetic she
poised the needle over a large lump in Newton's neck then withdrew
stating that she wasn't confident that the lump wasn't her thyroid
(as opposed to lymph node) and didn't take a sample from it. Newton's
lymph nodes all over are quite large, and she's thin as a rake. The
FNA's turned up nothing but we treated her as if it were lymphoma
(prednisone .8 ml 2x/day)
Generally, we treat lymphoma only after it has been diagnosed. If
the FNA shows nothing, then a biopsy of one of these large lumps
should be the next step, rather than treatment of a disases whose
presence has not been established.
>
> She eats a lot, and I supplement her with all the a/d she will take
(via seringe and in a dish) but she still seems to be losing weight.
I have begun to wonder if it is hyperthyroidism instead of (or as
well as?) lymphoma. I checked my Merck manual and she has shown
almost all of the symptoms listed for it. (weight loss, increased
appetite, polydipsia, polyuria, enlargement of 'a gland' in her neck,
tachycardia, murmurs, dyspnea, the rads appeared to show cardiomegaly
although US looked normal). I posted her lab results a while back but
could again if they would be helpful.
Hyperthyroidism has yet to be documented in ferrets - cat and human
replies to this method notwithstanding. And, if we did see it in
ferrets, there is no guarantee that the clinical signs would be the
same as in the dog or cat. If you look up hyperadrenocorticism or
insulinoma in your Merck manual - you will read description of
diseases which bear no resemblance to what we see in the ferret.
>
> Would a hyperthyroid ferret have enlarged lymph nodes and spleen?
Is this worth pursuing? Is hyperthyroidism easily diagnosed/treated?
Would this have shown up on her bloodwork?
While you can pursue this by running a standard t3/t4 panel, I think
that for close to the same price you may be able to get that lump
excised and analysed to see what it is, and this would be a much more
cost-effective way to go.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM