From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2004-10-08 20:41:18 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] RE: adrenal surgery recovery
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <13121485.1097270132753.JavaMail.nobody@vanadium.smartgroups.com>
--- Linda Phillips <pinky58@ptd.net> wrote:
>
> Kodo had blood tests done prior to his adrenal
> surgery, both the Tennessee
> Panel and a CBC (about 3 weeks before surgery) but
> he did not have blood work done after the surgery.
After surgery is critical if he's showing adrenal
symptoms. If he goes into an Addisonian Crisis and
you don't get him immediate treatment he will die and
die quickly. If his electrolytes are out of balance
you need to find this out now, before he goes into
crisis. You don't have time to wait at all.
> Question? What exactly do I look for on the blood
> test results to tell me what his sodium/potassium
> ratio is?
Don't worry about ratios right now. Worry only about
whether they are both in the normal range. If not you
have a problem and a potentially serious once.
>
> The vet told me everything else looked good inside
> at the time of surgery. I wonder how hard it is to
> tell if the other adrenal has atrophied at all?
Usually it would be very small.
> Plus he still is not
> eating/drinking on his.
You need to worry about dehydration as well as
Addison's. Get him to a vet immediately. Don't wait
and don't discuss it here.
If he collapses (he goes limp, body temp drops
dangerously) he'll be in full blown Crisis. You have
very, very little time then. Pertwee almost died and
he was to the vet within a half an hour. We avoided a
Crisis with Ryo-Ohki, but we didn't wait when it
became obvious what was happening to her.
I am not a vet, and it may not be surgically induced
Addison's Disease, but it sure sounds like it.
All the best,
Caity and the fearsome foursome