From:
Linda Iroff
Date: 2003-08-11 14:14:22 UTC
Subject: Cookie's sudden illness and surgery
To: Ferret Health List <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <2147483647.1060596862@liroffimacg4.cc.oberlin.edu>
Background: Cookie is a 5 year old late alter, left adrenal removed at age
3. Last Sunday, she suddenly stopped eating and obviously felt poorly. She
was frequently running to the litterbox with little or no output, so I
immediately suspected blockage, though that is not like her.
We went to the vet Monday morning. Her regular vet was not in, so she was
seen by a less experienced vet. Xrays showed 2 small oblong shadows, and
general inflammation. Temperature was normal, fecal showed no parasites.
She was started on amoxy/flagyl/pepto. On Tuesday her regular vet did
exploratory and found 4 enlarged hemorrhagic lymph nodes. Two were removed
and 2 were too difficult to get to (the latter being what showed on the
xray).
Here is the report on the removed nodes:
> Clinical History: Sudden onset of inappetence. Hemorrhagic gastric lymph
> nodes discovered during exploratory.
>
> Gross: Received are two similar, soft, off-white, 2-2.6 cm, unidentified
> tissue fragments. Margins and completeness of excision cannot be
> determined due to irregularity of specimen submitted. Representative
> sections are submitted.
>
> Microscopic: Sections of lymph node reveal normal architecture partially
> effaced by infiltrates of epithelioid macrophages, neutrophils, and
> occasional lymphocytes and plasma cells. There is multifocal necrosis.
> Inflammation extends into adjacent mesentary. No bacterial or fungi are
> seen on routine staining. No evidence of neoplasia is seen.
>
> Diagnosis: Lymph node: Regionally extensive, moderate, pyogranulamatous
> lyphadenitis and adjacent mesentaritis.
>
> Comment: No evidence of lymphoma or other neoplastic process is seen. The
> casue of the pyogranulomatous lymphadenitis is not determined. No
> bacteria or fungi are seen on routine stains. Drainage from a site of
> adjacent inflammation (GI?, hepatic? etc) should be ruled out.
We are mightily relieved it is not lymphoma. Cookie seems to be recovering
slowly. Any ideas on what's going on here and what further treatment might
be useful?
Linda Iroff
Oberlin OH