From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2004-06-04 04:55:34 UTC
Subject: RE: Diarrhea and Elevated Liver Level
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <5029782.1086324934331.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Liver values: the ALT levels can go way off in ferrets when they don't eat or when food passes through too rapidly. Bilirubin is usually a more important value in ferrets.
See: Confusion and Controversy in Interpreting Ferret Clinical Pathology Data
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/Clin_Path/ClinPath.html
Most specifically these paragraphs (which I have long-standing permission to quote):
> Probably the most common misinterpretation that I see on a
>routine basis is in the area of hepatic enzymes. Remember, that
>the ferret, being by nature an obligate carnivore, has an extremely
>short digestive tract, and requires meals as often as every four to
>six hours. Should food not be available, it possesses the ability to
>quickly mobilize peripheral fat stores in order to meet energy
>requirements. When this physiologic mechanism is activated, the
>liver is literally flooded with fat, which results in hepatocellular
>swelling which may be marked. The result of this swelling is the
>leakage of membrane enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase,
>and as the hepatocellular swelling increases, occlusion of bile
>canaliculi occurs, resulting, over time, in elevation of alkaline
>phosphatase.
>In conjunction with this physiologic change, elevations of ALT up
>to 800 mg/dl can be seen, and alkaline phosphatase up to
>approximately 100 mg/dl. This often causes confusion to practitioners,
>who render an erroneous diagnosis of unspecified hepatic disease.
>However, hepatic disease is quite uncommon in this species; the most
>common cause of true hepatic disease in the ferret is neoplasia, with
>lymphosarcoma causing 95% of cases. Rarely bacterial infections of
>the liver or biliary tree may be seen.
> The diagnosis of hepatic disease in the ferret must be based not only
>on ALT and alkaline phosphatase, but other clinical indicators in the
>CBC and chem panel. Clinical elevation of icterus or an elevated
>bilirubin is an excellent indicatior of primary hepatic disease, or
>concomitant leukocytosis or pyrexia may lend additional credence
>to a diagnosis of primary hepatic disease.