Message Number: SG11838 | New FHL Archives Search
From: fuzztek@aol.com
Date: 2004-12-15 05:42:25 UTC
Subject: Auto-immune ques.
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2423269.1103089346003.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>

I run a rescue & had a ferret turned over to me because owner couldn't handle the illness.Pepe - MF M 1yr old.is a Waardenburg
ferret (deaf).Eating MF food & given 1 tea. Ferretone daily.
Oct brought to vet due to excessive scratching, tiny red dots on skin & lethargic. No fleas or flea dirt visable but was given Ovitrol to spray on him & put on Benadryl. Used 2 x's in 1 wk. Owner also used Flea mouse.
History before was, walked in NY woods. Walked in treated grass by house,owner washed carpet with Cheer and uses scented sprays and bathed Pepe with dry shampoo. Reason,selling condo and had to get ferret smell out of room. Pepe was put in garage.
Vet sent to larger hospital for transfusion ( PCV was 7).Bldwk done, ultrasound done, bone marrow aspirate done. Diagnoses was auto-immune due to low Retic count.
Kept at hospital for 4 days. Given bld, PCV up to 33. Meds:Pred,benadryl and Cipro. Taken home to new house & acting fine, then came in contact with furnuture from old condo. Crashed again. That is when I got him.
Nov:Very pale PCV 7, given 10cc whole bld.Is on Epogen & Pred.
2 wks later PCV was 45. 10 days later bldwk done:
12/14/04 : WBC-6.3 RBC-3.34 HGB-64 HCT-18.7
AST-29 Alb-3.2 Glob-2.8 Lymp-55 Mono-11 Baso-2
Abso Neu-1953 Abso Lymp-3465 Abso Eos-63 Abso Baso-126
Retic Count - 0.2 Abso Retic - 6680 All other values WNL.
Eating TF & Iams Kitten w/a/d. Drinking normal, stool normal, urine is normal. Wt. is 2.6, skin & coat Normal but still scratches alot. Not shedding

My ques. is, could this be due to all the chemicals he inhaled? Is this true Auto-immune? Does this have anything to do with Waardenbug Syndrom? Need suggestions, he is only 1 yr.

Yvonne