From:
cyprus4211@aol.com
Date: 2004-11-14 20:48:56 UTC
Subject: RE: Rapid Breathing, Not urinating as much
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1921179.1100465336289.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
This just started two days ago though and it was all of a sudden not slowly=
progressing. He went from doing better than he had been in months to breat=
hing fast and no energy. For now I am giving him pedialyte and plenty of wa=
ter in his soup. He sleeps well in his tunnel so I'm leaving him there. He =
stretches and seems content when I touch him. He peed a little more today o=
f course he's had more liquids and more lasix. Could dehydration do this? C=
ould carafate do this? This started after he started taking it. I read in h=
umans it was a rare reaction but it could cause difficulty breathing. He'll=
be going to the vets in the morning and I'll be up all night again with hi=
m. I have a stethoscope and I have been listening to his breathing and I he=
ar no fluid. His breathing is not labored now just faster. Could giving him=
heart medications without knowing exactly what's wrong kill him? The only =
specialist is a two hour drive away, I'm afraid the trip would be too much =
for him. The vet said if he has lymphoma the pred was probably keeping it a=
t bay, but after such a long use it probably isn't working anymore.
Angelica
Author wrote:
> Fast breathing can indicate shortness of breath or can indicate pain.
> I think your vets are right that lymphoma is a distinct possibility with =
him. Having it in the pancreas instead of the the more common insulinoma c=
ould account for his unusual responses to the meds. Either lymphoma or car=
cinoma (which is more rapidly invasive) instead of insulinoma can do that a=
nd will drop the blood sugar just like insulinoma.
> Also, like heart disease, lymphoma can cause ascites and edema. I suspec=
t that what you are seeing as weight gain is only partly fat and partly flu=
ids in his abdomen from your description of how much he urinates.
> Holding a ferret who has fluids like that on his back is both uncomfortab=
le and makes breathing hard from pressure on the diaphram which is why he d=
islikes it and it is best to avoid it.
> One tricky thing here: if he has heart disease then Pred is not optimal =
as a med to take iwth heart disease, but if the symptoms are more from lymp=
homa then Pred is a good drug for that. Not all cardiomyopathy is easy to =
find. X-rays spot many cases, but hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can at times=
be hard to find without an ultrasound, and then there are more unusual for=
ms of heart disease like A/V heart node block secondary to insulinoma, card=
iomyomas (if I recall the term right for a tumor of the heart muscle which =
one of our's had at one time), heart infections, etc.
> Yes, you need to consider the possibility of ulcers and it probably makes=
sense to space the Carafate at an offset time from the other meds. Nausea=
can also be caused by inuslinoma, and can be caused by lymphoma in some or=
gans such as pancreas or the liver.
> Lasix/Furosemide can decrease appetite by reducing the moisure in the nas=
al cavities so that the individual doesn't smell the food as well, so try m=
ixing a/d or meat baby foods with heated water to warm it and increase smel=
l. Although it sounds strange do have plenty of fluids around so the Lasix=
won't induce dehydration. It's a balance effort.
> And now my periodic reminder that I am not a vet, just someone who has be=
en there.
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