From:
"Fuzzy Logic"
Date: 2003-08-10 01:04:47 UTC
Subject: RE: Bruising (Update)
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <27535250.1060480702481.JavaMail.nobody@strontium.smartgroups.com>
The results are back from Tennessee and confirm Adrenal.
Could they be wrong? Can results from one year ago (which were not done by
Tennessee) be accurately compared? If it is Adrenal, how long can I safely
wait to see if any new or stronger symptoms appear? What might slow the rate
of muscle loss? Melatonin? Could having less darkness over the past 2-3
months throw the levels off? I ask because I usually keep her cage covered
with black sheets and she usually sleeps under a bookcase or in a drawer,
but lately it's just been too warm to do any of those things.
I can't really explain why I had her tested. Symptoms have been very subtle
and could be attributed to other things. I think the most noticeable and
suspect are the extensive bruising (the last time blood was drawn), weight
loss (more pronounced over the past 2-3 weeks) and what I believe is muscle
loss. The weight loss could be attributed to the time of year and (I think)
to a diet of Hill's Feline Z/D, which she's been eating for 3-4 months
because of GI problems from all ferret diets and most premium kitten foods.
The hair across her shoulders had thinned some but isn't as noticeable and
she had rat tail but the hair has grown back. She sleeps longer and more
often and has become a little lethargic, and had been itching/scratching
like crazy until about two weeks ago, but nothing screams Adrenal. She does
follow me around and wants more attention than before and has more interest
in grooming and trying to drag me under something, but...
These are the results from the last two tests:
University of Tennessee / 07-15-03:
Estradiol pmol/L 196.4 Normal: 30-180 pmol/L
17 OH Progesterone nmol/L 0.12 Normal: 0-0.8 nmol/L
Androstenedione nmol/L 0.35 Normal: 0-15 nmol/L
IDEXX / 08-14-02:
Estradiol 127 Normal: 30-80 pmol/L
17OH Progesterone 0.21 Normal: 0.0-0.8 nmol/L
Androstenedione 8.0 Normal: 0-15 nmol/L
The vet with the most ferret experience in my area wants to wait and test
again in 8-10 months and said adrenal glands don't grow fast and cannot
displace or grow into surrounding organs. So what should I do? Wait and
retest at a later date? And if so, how much later? Obviously I need to find
out what her platelet count is, first, but then what? She's the happiest
she's been in a long time. She went through so much before the change in
diet. She still has bad poops here and there but with Hill's Feline Z/D,
limited treats (and only certain ones) and Marshall's Probiotic, has been
doing quite well, at least for her. She will be four in September.
Thanks again.
End of ferrethealth Digest
***********************************