From:
Steve Austin
Date: 2003-03-19 05:55:03 UTC
Subject: liver disease
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <20030319.005550.980.1.kazpat1@juno.com>
I am ferret sitting for a 6 plus year old male, he had bilateral adrenals
taken out last year and after surgery had elevated liver enzymes.
The owner had him on milk thistle, 6 month later the liver test was
normal. Now 6 months later I am ferret sitting him, he is acitve
and fine until the third day, I note one episode of diarrhea. The
following morning he is tired looking, the blood sugar was 100.
Later that day he is worse, so I give him SQ and the next morning
he goes to the vet. Two stool samples are negative, the diarrhea
is liquid brown with specks of blood. He is very weak, he gets SQ and
urinated and the urine is dark yellow. Dip shows nothing unusual,
specific gravity 1.020, but it is loaded with bilirubin. I bring him
home and give him more SQ and some baby food, next urine
is almost bright orange so I go back to the vet. The blood shows
a pretty normal chemistry, BUN and Cr within normal range.
Liver panel:
Albumin is only 1.8
AST or ALT ( I can't remember) is elevated at about 500
The bilirubin is 4.8
The CBC was sent out, an x-ray is normal except you can see clips
on both sides where the adrenals were removed.
The vet suggested a liver aspiration to look for liver cancer,
saying the most common cause would be lymphoma, he was also
wondering about the adrenal glands that were removed if they
were biopsied- I don't have this info, but I guess if there was
a adrenalcarcinoma perhaps there were metastasis?
I couldn't get ahold of the owner, I know the ferret did not have
diarrhea before he came to me, apparently he got something
from my home and I feel guilty. I think the diarrhea and dehydration
caused him to decompensate worsening an underlying liver disease
that was already there, but asymptomatic. THe vet thinks it is
also possible the diarrhea is part of the liver problem.
I was just wondering if anyone has a good outcome from a ferret
with liver disease where it would be worthwhile to persue an
aspiration, or just treat symptomatically and hopefully pull
him through the bout of diarrhea and let the owner follow
up with her vet when she returns in a week.
Thanks for any input,
Patty
ps. I am never ever ever ferret sitting again, I feel awful :(
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