From:
sukiec@optonline.com
Date: 2003-03-03 17:18:48 UTC
Subject: RE: Bloated Belly seen vet
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <6666635.1046711928649.JavaMail.root@scandium>
If a chest x-ray was not done that wouldn't hurt any. An unltrasound is better. Cardiomyopathy often can only be found through imaging in ferrets (rather than by listening), and sometimes the less common form, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can only be found through ultrasound.
There are multiple possibilities for causes of ascites including cardiomyopathy, lymphoma, kidney disease, and liver disease. It sure would not hurt to image those organs and the abdomen in general with the ultrasound at the same time.
There is a write-up on the ways that some blood test results can confuse folks at http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html . You'll notce that diagnosing lymphoma and liver disease can be confusing and sometimes over-done.