From:
amandadegraw@hotmail.com
Date: 2005-05-13 17:22:40 UTC
Subject: Wasting ferret...possible causes?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <7695349.1116004960804.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Sorry for the long post... I have a ferret named Cody (some of you may reme=
mber my posts about him...)of unknown age (probably around 6-7yrs) who is j=
ust skin and bones, and shakes a lot. More than your typical ferret would u=
pon waking up. He has a good appetite. He has a grade 1 heart murmur. His g=
lucose has been normal, but it has been a couple weeks since last checked, =
so he is going in to the vet next week. The last time at the vet, the blood=
values were normal, except signs of infection, so he was treated with amox=
i and due to his history of gastroenteritis, was treated for an ulcer with =
carafate and kaolin-pectin. Radiology showed a slightly enlarged heart and =
haziness in the abdomen. Cardiomyopathy was suspected, so he was ultrasound=
ed. This was done by a vet I work with, who is inexperienced with ferrets (=
I am a poor graduate student. She compared the way his heart looked to my t=
wo healthy ferrets and it seemed great. She saw no signs of cardiomyopathy.=
There still was a small amt of fluid in the abdomen and his spleen looked =
abnormal, so he was scheduled for sedation and abdomenal tap and aspirate o=
f spleen. This was performed a week after the initial ultrasound. By the ti=
me the sedation occured, the fluid in the abdomen was no where to be found =
with ultrasound, and his spleen looked more normal thatn before. An aspirat=
e was taken of the spleen and sent out for analysis, which can back normal.=
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Here is my question....why is my ferret so bony? I know cardiomyopathy, ins=
ulinoma and lymphoma can cause this, but none of the tests we have run have=
led us to believe any of these diseases are present. Could it just be from=
years of chronic gastroenteritis, or does he have some underlying problem =
that tests aren't showing us? Could it just be old age?
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