From:
sunni_321@yahoo.com
Date: 2003-06-09 18:19:49 UTC
Subject: Swollen Lymph Nodes - looking for possible diagnosis
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <264973.1055182789092.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
I've written several times about this, and have received wonderful advise here, so I'm hoping someone can help me once again.
My eldest, Madeline, 2yo, was found to have swollen lymph nodes on May 1st, 2003. Since that time, she's had a CBC (all within acceptable ranges), a biopsy on two nodes (right above left shoulder and back of left leg), which turned out not to be lymphoma but to be "reactive hyperplasia" (the nodes reacting to something). She then was taken to an exotic pet specialist and was thoroughly examed and had fecal cultures and smears (as that was the one thing the new vet had wanted in addition to the previous results). Well, it was then discovered that she had blood in her stools, as well as higher than normal amounts of bacteria. I was to give her amoxicillin and monitor her temp. After a week, a stool sample was taken again, and it was bumped up to amoxi. and baytril. After giving the baytril a weekend (Fri, Sat, and Sun) to get going, another stool sample was taken, and now she was put on the following:
0.15 CC baytril injection X 1 per day
0.33 CC amoxicillin X 2 per day
0.25 CC Pepto Bismal X 2-3 per day
1.25 MG (1/8th) Pepcid AC X 1 per day
I've also monitored her temp throughout this time and it is as follows (I didn't hold on to the info from the first week, but this is starting with the Baytril Injections):
Day 1 - 102.2
Day 2 - 101.9
Day 3 - 102.2
Day 4 - 102.3
Day 5 - 102.3
Day 6 - 102.5
Day 7 - 102.8
Day 8 - 102.6
Day 9 - 102.3
Day 10 - 102.7
Now, today she had another fecal culture and smear. It came back negative for bacteria and just a trace amount of blood.
Her lymph nodes are still swollen. The doctor said it may be a viral infection as it isn't responding to the antibiotic as it should. (He said more, but, I don't remember all the technical stuff).
His course of action is to continue with all her medicines until he gets back with me. He is going to contact the University (where the lymph node tissue was examed) and talk with the pathologist. He says he doesn't want to put Maddie through a bunch more tests until he gets all the information possible out of the biopsied node. If this pathologist can't help much (apparently, the University doesn't deal much with ferrets), he would like to send the lymph node tissue to a place that specializes in ferrets. If, after all this, he can't figure out what it is, he said he may treat with steroids, although he doesn't want to do that if he can avoid it.
I know it is pretty much wait and see, for now... I'm just wondering, has anyone else seen a scenario like this? If, so, do you recall what it turned out to be?
Secondly, what is a ferret's temperature supposed to be? My new vet says that all the higher 102's are a low grade fever, while, I've also read that 102-103 is normal. I believe he wants to see it under 102. (I'm not saying he's wrong, I just thought I had read that up to 103 was okay).
Thank you, in advance, for any information and advise you may have!