From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-06-20 21:50:30 UTC
Subject: RE: more info on horrible ulcers & question
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <926857.1119304230831.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
With a number suddenly ill and some dead it pays to have necropsies and the treating vet will send off tissues for necropsy to pathologists who work with ferret tissues. Do not freeze the remains. Refrigeration will slow decomposition but freezing destroys the cells. If it is possible to have tissue pulled rapidly that is preferable because even though intestinal tissue does not decompose as rapidly as things like the gallbladder it is still very fast and it sounds like both stomach and intestinal tissue need to be checked. Definitely, you want to try to have tissues pulled the same day.
In
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG3835
Dr. Bruce Williams notes:
>Remember that nothing short of
>freezing or preserving in formalin will stop the decomposition
>process - refrigeration simply slows it.
>All tissues decompose at their own pace - those involved in the
>digestive system tend to autodigest fastest, due to the presence of
>digestive enzymes (gallbladder and pancreas - the fastest decomposers
>in the body), to the stomach, small intestine, and colon (which have
>some digestive juices as well as their own supply of bacteria to
>speed it along.) Depending on the composition of the other tissues,
>they all decompose at their own pace. Muscle and bone generally
>decomposes the slowest.
In
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG10682
Dr. Williams give post mortem guidelines:
which I want to emphasize that everyone should see, and I advise reading in full. It turns out that the GI tract decomposes faster than I had thought because it includes:
>As a general rule, the digestive system, by its very nature, decomposes fastest - >you might say it digests itself. The gall bladder which is filled with bile, a digestive
>compound, goes first - usually within 2 hours. Between six and twelve hours, the >lining of the digestive tract, what I usually rely on to make a diagnosis of ECE, is >gone, due to the presence of bacteria, food, and digestive enzymes. The pancreas, >a storehouse of digestive enzymes, also decomposes fast. Generally, if you have >an undiagnosed digestive disease and the tissues aren't in formalin within 12 >hours, you have markedly diminished your chances of making a diagnosis.
The vet might want fecals, too, so ask before going over.
With something so severe you need to close your doors to any ferrets in or any ferrets out till you know what is going on and that it is under control.
Let the vet know what has been eaten in case there might be a form of food poisoning. For example, some of the food poisonings from raw meats can have symptoms like these so even though the cases are rare they can be severe.
Meanwhile, supportive care for all while you are trying to get a diagnosis and know that you might have