From:
Linda Iroff
Date: 2004-05-05 23:50:22 UTC
Subject: re: Postop complications
To: Ferret Health List <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-id: <F8D8C388-9EEE-11D8-98D1-000A95DA8BEE@oberlin.edu>
Dr Sue wrote
> With the jaundice I wonder about biliary obstruction
> of some sort. I have seen it in a ferret. The question is the cause
> is it
> sludge that is cleaned up and removed or is it a mass or something
> causing
> it.
This is what ultimately killed my Cookie. During adrenal/insulinoma
surgery, the vet had to put a couple stitches in (for reasons I never
found out). She was recovering well for a few days, than suddenly
stopped eating and became very dehydrated and non-responsive with very
low blood sugar. An emergency trip to the vet (not the one who did
surgery) and after some time, we were finally able to rehydrate her,
bring her sugar up and she perked up. The only thing the vet could find
was a lot of inflammation in her belly. Cookie was started on
antibiotics, and did better briefly, then crashed again and became very
yellow. After a few days of trying to keep her hydrated with sub-q
fluids 5-6 times a day, we finally let her go.
Necropsy by the second vet showed a bile duct blocked by inflammation
around the stitches.
Linda Iroff
Oberlin OH