From:
harley1369@cox.net
Date: 2004-11-09 03:29:26 UTC
Subject: Extremely elevated WBC-NEED HELP PLEASE!
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <31332340.1099980150031.JavaMail.nobody@vanadium.smartgroups.com>
Hello all,
I just joined, forgive me if I bend the rules of ettiquette! I was advised to cross post
my letter from the Ferret-L list to this forum. I am copying below my original post
and the follow up from today (most important). Whitey is very ill and hospitalized
again. If anyone knows what this is, please let me know!
Hi List,
I'm new and have a very sick fert. I was wondering if any out there have advise?
Whitey is a two year old altered male ferret. He has always been normally healthy
and active, although on the thin side. Three weeks ago I noticed some greenish,
mucousy stool in the kennel. Being as I have four ferrets, I didn't know which ferret
wasn't feeling well. The next day I found Whitey semi-consciencous with nasal
discharge and slimey dark
green diarrhea running from him. I immediately took him to the local animal
hospital where he was admitted.
Initial complete blood count was normal, however a chemistry panel showed
increased ALT. Whole body xrays showed an enlarged liver. Parasites were ruled
out with a fecal exam. He was put on IV fluids and monitored
for three days. On discharge he had lost I would guess at least 50% of his body
weight, he has no muscle mass. He was discharged with a presumptive diagnosis of
ECE, and prescriptions for a five day course of Amoxicillan (0.3 mL twice a day) and
Flagyl (0.2 mL twice a day). His liver had returned to normal size and his ALT had
decreased to normal range.
For two weeks I've been syringe feeding him liquified boiled chicken with Marshalls
kibble pulverized in it. I feed him four times per day, a minimum of 20cc's per
feeding.
His greenish, watery stools continued for almost a week after discharge, then turned
black & tarry. I treated this with two days of Pepcid AC. When the stools turned
green and brownish but were still mucousy, I gave him one dose of Immodium AD.
He continued to move his bowels but the
color gradually changed from greenish to brown, seedy in texture to very soft but
formed, sometimes frothy.
His appetite is good and he drinks water fine, but he gets exhausted extremely
easily. He sleeps 99% of the time and doesn't appear to have gained any muscle
back, his entire rib cage, backbone and pelvis are evident. His hind quarters he can
barely move, he drags himself around
with his front legs.
When I took him to the hospital he had nasal discharge from his left nostril, it was
clear. He still has clear nasal discharge which alternates between his nostrils. His
left eye has a watery and sometimes white mucousy discharge. I don't see any pink
to indicate conjunctivitus. He is not sneezing or coughing.
I have noticed in the past week that his heart rate seems extremely fast, faster than
that of my healthy ferts. His respiration also seems irregulary fast, almost like he is
panting with his mouth closed. I have also noticed that his rib cage, (where the
human breast bone would be) is pushing outward as if an organ behind it was
protruding. He's very 'barrel chested' now. He has lumps in his intestines that
differ in size, most likely with when he had his last BM, but are always present. I
don't know if I'm just noticing these lumps & bumps because he's so
thin, or if something is really wrong.
I'm about at wits end, I don't know what to do for him. $900.00 of a hospital stay
and I still have a very weak and sick ferret. I understand that ECE can take its toll
and recouperation can takes months, (I'll do whatever it takes) but are these
symptoms that he still has normal? Every vet I've spoken to, each web page I search
out gives me different answers. No one here in Rhode Island seems to know what to
do. Am I doing everything right or wrong? Am I prolonging his misery? He's on no
medication now and each day he does appear more alert and his eyes are bright.
Will he make it through, is this unusual? My other three ferts are fat and happy, no
signs of disease. Was this truly ECE then?
Any advice, suggestions, anything to calm my nerves would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Leslie
Hello all,
I can't express my gratitude for the outpouring of advice, good wishes and common
sense out there!
I took Whitey to the fert specialist in Rhode Island today, (Monday). Upon arrival he
had a temp of 108! (He had had a temp of 106.8 I was able to control last night).
She said he was dehydrated again, so she Sub Cu'ed him and said get him to OSVS
[Hospital name removed] immediately. I did and he's been admitted again.
This was the first outfit that originally diagnosed him with ECE. The vet he saw
tonight, (an exotic specialist) said she doesn't believe it was ECE and that many vets
stamp' ECE' when there's green diarrhea and they don't know what else it is :-( She
did a complete CBC panel and his white blood cell count was 80,000, ten thousand
times the norm she said. They have him on IV fluids and a very potent antibiotic.
They're trying to stabilize him so they can do biopsies in the next 48 hours. His
heart rate was extremely elevated, so much so that she couldn't count it and he has
a heart murmur. She said that could be caused by the anemia he has.
Right now he has a major bacterial infection of unknown origins. His spleen was
enlarged and when she did a stomach tap, she got nothing. No stomach acid, no
fluids, no air. She says that means his stomach hasn't been perforated which is good
news. I think whatever caused his diarrhea in the first place was a warning that he
was getting sick. He's had no diarrhea in the past 5 days and his stools are brown
and formed but very soft.
For those that asked, no, he's never had his distemper shot. I was afraid it would kill
him. The vet doesn't believe that's what it is but on my insistence will test. Should
he pull through this, he and his mates are getting vaccinated ASAP.
She also asked if he was from a major ferret farm in the northeast because she said
those ferts are genetically pre-disposed to some sort of cancer-lymphoma ? sp??
He's not, I don't know where he came from prior to PetCo.
Anyway, that's his update for now. I thank all of you for your kind words, thoughts
and prayers. Keep up the prayers, we'll need them!
More updates when I know something new.
Leslie
PS.
Just scanned over the Ferret Health list...it appears Whitey might have this DIM,
although he's older than the normal age for onset :-( I've printed Dr. Williams' alert
and am dropping it off at OSVS.