From:
williamsdvm@comcast.net
Date: 2003-02-14 03:50:59 UTC
Subject: RE: autoaglutination?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <7918707.1045194659437.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Dear Mary:
It certainly sounds like a case of inflammatory bowel disease here - prior =
infection with ECE, chronic poor stools, weight loss, splenomegalyThe lack =
of response to pred is unusual, but not unheard of - although I would like =
to know a bit more about the dosage.
While they conceivably could get it, I have never seen or heard of a ferret=
with rickettsial disease, and animals with reckettsial diseases (such as R=
ocky Mountain spotted fever tend to have small hemorrhages spontaneously no=
t just after the trauma of taking blood. I think we can push that possibil=
ity way down to the bottom of the list, somewhere around the level of rabie=
s.
Animals with IBD can have blood abnormalities, and this may be the connecti=
on here. I am hopeful that she ordered a platelet count with this bloodwor=
k (if the sample didn't clot on its own.)
I am a bit concerned with the prospect of surgery when an animal shows brui=
sing at a phlebotomy site. These animals generally make poor patients - cau=
tion is advised here.
It also appears that you are treating for Helicobacter, in spite of the fac=
t that the signs are pointing to IBD. The administration of flagyl and pep=
to can be very stressful, and can lead to gastric ulcers - which would comp=
ound his problems. Once again, be very careful here in an older ferret.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
Author wrote:
> Hi All,
> I am new to this list, and am joining because I have a very sick fuzzy. =
Mr. Roberts is a 7 year old Black Sable. He came to us 2 years ago with lo=
ose stools. ECE like syndrome went thru our business. His stools have neve=
r been right, and our vet decided he would probably just have abnormal stoo=
ls forever. He was eating, drinking and holding a decent weight. After ab=
out 1 1/2 years, he started losing weight, and some muscle. Stool samples =
showed nothing, and we tried Pred. In Nov. we came to Florida due to aging=
, ill parents. We are living in a camping traqiler, so I tried taking them=
for walks. Mr. R. won't walk in harness. His stools got very loose again=
, ad the muscle wasting got worse. We had quit the pred when he did not ge=
t much better after 6 weeks of treatment. Anyway, his spleen is so enlarge=
d, that the vet nearby and I feel it must be removed, or risk fracture. We=
started Amoxi, flagyl and Pepto bid last Tues. And I had given sub q ring=
ers lactate 35cc 2 x day thru Sun. Over this period of time his spleen inc=
reased by 1/3 to approximately 5cm wide and 15 or more long. The doctor dr=
ew blood today, and is concerned about bruising on and around the draw sit=
e. She says he has some auto agglutination going on, and questions Rickets=
siol disease. Do ferrets get this, and should we try any other treatment f=
or the bowel problem. After a week, that is only mimimally better. Help,=
please. Mary and Mr. Roberts
> =
> =
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