From:
"Ulrike"
Date: 2005-03-24 21:52:47 UTC
Subject: Was this Aleutian Disease?
To: "FHL" <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-Id: <424336AF.00001D.03788@FERRETLOVE1>
I wrote about Reno almost 2 weeks ago. He had suddenly lost weight, was
very weak and wobbly on his legs, had anaemia and a high urea and couldn't
concentrate his urine. My vet's first thought was that he had renal failur=
e
I was first in denial because Reno was so different to the other 3 ferret=
s
that I had with renal failure. But after a week or so I eventually thought=
that it may be renal failure. He deteriorated very quickly in the 1 1/2
weeks that he was showing symptoms. I had him put to sleep last Monday. =
Got the pathology report back today and the diagnosis is AD. I thought I
post the report to see what vets and people with experience of AD can say
about it. How likely is it that the report is right? Needless to say I
will now have all my ferrets tested and I'm dreading what this means...
Ulrike
Reno's report (he was a sandy ferret though, not polecat/ sable. He had
been on synulox/ clavamox for 1 1/2 weeks and on prednisolone for 4-5 days,=
don't know if that would have caused the changes that the report is talking=
about, he also had normal stools (although they were a weird reddish brown
colour with red specs in them) and only 2 days when he had this weird mucus=
diarrhoea for a few hours):
=
HISTORY
=
Now - lethargy, inappetance, diarrhoea, splenomegaly and coughing.
=
Diagnosis
=
Aleutian Disease
=
Prognosis
=
Prognosis Not Applicable
=
HISTOLOGIC FINDINGS:
=
Several tissue from a polecat ferret are examined (slides 1-6).
There are multiple infiltrates of lymphocytes and plasma cells in the
periductal space in the pancreas, the renal intestitium, the portal areas o=
f
the liver, and the parenchyma of the adrenal gland, in this order from mild=
to severe. The most severe infiltrates, those in the adrenal, include
several Mott cells.
Other lesions in the kidney include fibrosis, usually associated with the
foci of lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, multifocal to diffuse thickening of=
the basement membrane of Bowman=92s capsule and the glomerular tuft,
occasional glomerular sclerosis, dilation of renal tubules and a single cys=
t
The liver has a diffuse hepatocellular vacuolar change (most likely the
result of the prednisolone treatment).
There is distortion of the adrenal gland architecture with several small
foci of nodular hyperplasia and formation of an eptithelium-lined cyst.
In the spleen there are large areas of hemorrhage, some necrosis (hematomas=
)
The remaining parenchyma contains extramedullary hematopoietic tissue.
In the lung, some bronchi are obliterated by abundant mucus (bronchiectasis=
)
and some mixed inflammation.
The lymph nodes are greatly expanded by the abundant lymphocytes and lesser=
plasma cells. Germinal centers are sometimes prominent. Lymphocytes exten=
d
into the adjacent adipose tissue.
No significant lesions are present in the section of small intestine
examined.
=
COMMENTS:
=
The clinical history and histologic findings in this polecat ferret are
consistent with a parvoviral infection and thus very supportive of the
diagnosis of Aleutian disease. Other lesions included a mucous bronchitis,=
vacuolar hepatopathy (due to prednisolone) and Splenic hematomas.
=
=