From:
"Sue Liszewski"
Date: 2005-07-04 07:44:47 UTC
Subject: RE: [ferrethealth] Need Diagnostic Assistance
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <BAY104-F41D7A86F305600D85D88E4DCE70@phx.gbl>
Obstuctions cannot always be seen on an x ray and can be found in surgery so
this is one way. She could consider a barium or ultrasound first if money
is not an issue and you want to be sure it is indicatied they might give
other answers. If it is not an obstruction I suspect she would biopsy and
such to rule out IBD and gastric ulcers and cancers. Best of luck to you.
Dr. Sue
>From: tlcoffey@sbcglobal.net
>Reply-To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>Subject: [ferrethealth] Need Diagnostic Assistance
>Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2005 06:45:57 +0100 (BST)
>
>Teddy was born in 1999. He came from a private breeder. He has always been
>a big boy, weighing from 5lbs to 6 lbs depending on the seaon (he's
>German).
>
>About a year ago he started losing a little weight. Since then, I had
>noticed some more weight loss but it did not register how
>much weight he had actually lost until I took him in on an emergency visit
>to the vet. I had come home and he was gagging, choking, vomiting large
>blobs of foamy saliva, and drooling. He was very wobbly and sort of
>incoherent. He became coherent shortly after he stopped vomiting and
>gagging. He does not have unsupervised run of the house because he has a
>thing for plastic bags.
>
>At the vet, she weighed him and he is down to 2 1/2 pounds. She did an
>x-ray and while she did not see any obstructions, she did say that one of
>his kidneys and spleen are enlarged. She did blood work and said that his
>blood work came back odd. White count OK. Red count slightly high.
>Slightly anemic, showed dehydration, creatinine was elevated, and she said
>something about the BUN.
>
>I don't see how he can be dehydrated. He has water available at all times.
> I don't understand the weight loss because he has food available at all
>times. I am still hoping that it is some kind of partial obstruction.
>
>I got Laxa-tone this afternoon and gave it to him and he has had numerous
>BMs. Some are very runny. Some seem normal. Some seem pretty dry. I've
>noticed, even before now, that his stools have become "grainy" looking.
>
>Tonight I noticed that his stools have small blobs of blackish stuff and
>the color, instead of being standard ferret poo brown, a single stool will
>range from light tan to greenish brown to reddish brown with the small
>black blobs.
>
>I picked through several of his stools (I know, gross. I was trying to see
>if he was passing anything) and I noticed that there were discolored chunks
>of litter inside the stool. I use the super absorbent crystals - the
>rough, chunky kind, not the smooth pellets. He loves to play and root in
>it, especially when he was younger. The pellet form of crystals bounce and
>made a huge mess. The chunky crystals don't bounce.
>
>The vet said to reduce his protein, try and get him to eat more and put him
>on vitamins. Easier said that done. Picky little guy will only eat ferret
>chow (he's not too particular here - but the vet has said the protein is
>too high), one or two kinds of cat chow, and Captain Crunch cereal. He
>won't touch "Duck Soup". I'm still experimenting on a Duck Soup variation
>he will eat.
>
>Anyway, the vet is thinking it may be lymphoma and she is starting to talk
>about doing an exploratory. I saw the x-rays and I didn't see any
>suspicious opaque areas. I've been looking for Dr. Williams because I
>would really like a second or for Dr. Williams to consult with my vet
>before doing an exploratory.
>
>Anything would be helpful.
>
>Teresa (and Teddy)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
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