From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2003-05-24 03:21:57 UTC
Subject: Re: Swollen Lymph Nodes, etc.
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com, sunni_321@yahoo.com
Message-id: <a06001200baf48fd889d0@[10.0.1.6]>
Yes, infections can cause swollen nodes and enlarged nodes.
No, 103' is not out of the normal temperature range for ferrets which
is 102' to 103' so she was not fevering when the surgery was done.
Yes, 104.4 which she had today is a fever.
Yes, lympho can produce other symptoms BUT it doesn't always. In
fact, at times it is hidden enough that even vets have had their own
ferrets dying of it before it was known to be there, so: No, lympho
doesn't always produce other symptoms in ferrets and sometimes the
obvious nodes don't even swell.
Yes, blood is abnormal in stool. Is it frank blood (red) or digested
blood (black or incredibly dark green)?
No, it is not necessarily unusual to find the others in feces if my
memory serves for past vet posts. Okay, yeast is normal as per:
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG14197 , and the bacteria
would depend on which type and how much but of course there is some
normally in feces.
Do remember that you said yourself that the other ferrets were
fussing with her stitches after surgery. That itself can cause
infection at the surgical site.
I think that you misunderstood about the vaccine. It is not usual
for a ferret to act sick after a vaccine because of the immune system
response while trying to get it to recognize the illness.
That medical approach is a standard one and we've had good results
with it the one time it was needed.
You write:
>no... I kind of feel like Dr. Old Vet screwed up on this whole thing.
Well, there apparently was a good CBC, there were inflamed nodes, and
there was not a fever, so I would not agree based on what was said.
I am not convinced that the infection is not due to the other ferrets
messing with the incision site.
You write:
>Dr. Old Vet told me at the time of the biospy that she didn't know
>what chemo protocol one uses >for a ferret, as she has never treated
>a ferret for lymphoma.
That is not unusual. Most people do not decide to do so. The
reasons vary from the low success rate, to how much time Pred alone
often gives, to whatever. Plus, chemo protocols change all the time
which is why vets use consulting veterinary oncologists if they don't
do this a lot.
You write:
>He checked MANY things that Dr Old Vet never did (ie felt her liver
>and spleen through her tummy, >checked her mouth, eyes, ears,
>listened to their heart and lungs...
A thorough exam is good.
>I had planned on finding a new vet to do chemo if necessary since
>Dr. Old Vet doesn't know what to >use,
Any vet worth his or her salt who doesn't do a lot of those will
check with a veterinary oncologist first, anyway.