From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2004-08-13 16:22:44 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] fluid buildup (in the abdomen)
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Cc: ssiu@mud.cgl.uwaterloo.ca
Message-ID: <20040813162244.55410.qmail@web50805.mail.yahoo.com>
Hi, Selina, and everyone else,
>
> Bear gained about 100 g over in the last day (from
> 1350 the night before to 1450 last night). we
> doubled his dose of furosamide to 0.24cc
At what concentration? That doesn't sound like a high
dosage. If it's the same concentration Podo was on
(10mg/ml concentration) he started with a higher
dosage (.25ml) than Bear is on now. Also, when I
discussed Podo's cardiomyopathy with a very
knowledgeable and experienced ferret owner who had
several very old ferrets with cardiomyopathy over the
years she told me that injectable lasix (furosemide)
sometimes works better than oral. If Bear is taking
his furosemide orally that may be something to discuss
with your vet. You may also be able to add a diuretic
(i.e.: spironolactone) to help clear fluids.
> I know at this point there's not a whole lot I can
> do for him. my vet mentioned "taping?" the fluids
> from his abdomen, although
> apparently the build up can come back within a day.
We discussed this option for Kodo when his abdomen
filled with fluid. The vet who saw him at the time
(our backup vet, also outstanding) told us the same
thing. The worst part was that Kodo was also quite
dehydrated and giving him subcutaneous fluids to take
care of that would cause the fluid to return to his
abdomen.
The one thing tapping the fluid would help with is
determining if further treatment is a good idea. We
decided to put Kodo down that day. It turned out the
fluid in his abdoment was pink and there was a fair
amount of blood in it. That was consistent with
lymphosarcoma, which is what was killing him. It
pretty much confirmed we made the right decision.
By examining the fluid by tapping it out once you and
your vet may be better able to decide a course of
action for Bear.
> just wondering
> if anybody has experience with this and if its
> something that can be done at home as well
Not at home, no. At least that is what we were told
with Kodo.
Here's hoping you and your vet can come up with
additional medical options to keep him happy a little
longer.
All the best,
Caity and the fantastic four
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