From:
MC
Date: 2003-03-29 03:08:23 UTC
Subject: RE: 5 Year Old New Zealand Ferret
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <3E850E27.CFFFBA72@ProgressiveSystemsInc.org>
Group members..
This was posted to another list by mistake, that list being confused for this one...moderators, the poster is my vet, Dr.
Katie Rohrer-Weldon, V.M.D.
She has tried to join but the subscribe gets rejected...
So..I am reposting her post here and hopefully, one or more of the great vets here can give us some answers.
Thank you in advance!
MC
************
I had an interesting case present to me about 2-1/2 weeks ago.
(I am a veterinarian in Reno, NV.) One of my clients brought his
ferret in with a 3 day history of weight loss. The ferret (Tuzi)
had become lethargic the morning she was brought into my hospital.
She is a 5 year old intact female New Zealand ferret, who has
tested a "no read" on the United ADV test. (Therefore, she is
neither positive nor negative by their standards.) She has never
had exposure to U.S. ferrets.
We ran bloodwork, and at that time she had very elevated liver
values (ALT=628, AST=157, AlkP=94, albumin=2.3, globulin=3.1,
glucose=252, BUN=22, Creat=0.8, HCT=52.6). We began
force-feeding her, and started metronidazole and amoxicillin.
Follow-up bloodwork showed an improvement in liver values
(ALT=234, AST=64, AlkP=97, albumin=1.8 (worse), BUN=31,
Creat=0.7, glucose=110, HCT=32.6). We sent her home
because she was feeling better and eating well on her own. She
returned about 1-1/2 weeks later, and on physical exam, her
kidneys were 3x normal size !! (They had been normal size when
she was in the hospital previously!)
We had an ultrasound performed, and the needle aspirate
cytology of the kidneys came back with increased numbers of mixed
inflammatory cells, primarily lymphocytes. Also seen were
some plasma cells, with occasional "flame cells" (which can
sometimes form with plasma cell tumors, per the pathologist).
The pathologist also noted that the changes were most consistent
with nephritis (kidney inflammation), although the specific cause
is not apparent. The liver cytology came back inconclusive
(mostly blood).
I was wondering if anyone out there has had anything similar
diagnosed in their patients/pets, and what the end result was. We
placed this ferret on prednisolone 0.5 mg orally twice a day for
the nephritis (kidney inflammation). I know that without a kidney
biopsy, it will be difficult to assess if this is truly cancer or simply inflammation.
I look forward to hearing your input!!