From:
glenn_kelli@yahoo.com
Date: 2005-09-19 11:41:45 UTC
Subject: RE: When is enough enough?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <5121249.1127130105648.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
His initial xray showed that he had fluid in his chest which was putting pressure on his lungs and his heart. Some fluid was removed as well as a blood test done. Lymphoma wasn't detected and it looked like it could just be an inflammation of some type. I kept him in the vet for 3 long days and 2 nights upon which they medicated him heavily to try to remove some of the fluid in his chest. The follow up xray showed that the fluid had gone down quite a bit and his cough stopped, however, there was now a small mass present in his chest. I was allowed to take him home, which initially scared me to death with him hardly keeping his eyes open and his skin felt tight like he was dehydrated. I believe he was medicated pretty heavily while at the vet. Now he is active (somewhat)but still coughing. I have finished the round of the flurosemide (?) which brought out the fluid and I finish the Pred and the Cefa drops today.
You mentioned heart worm. Ashton is never outside. Could he still get heart worm from being inside all the time? Wouldn't the initial blood test show that if that were the case? I guess now the question is, is the fluid back and what is happening with the mass. Maybe I'm afraid to find out. But I guess you're right, I need to find out more before I decide it's enough.
Thanks.
Author wrote:
> It sounds like you are asking when a person knows if the QUALITY of a ferret's life is better with or without certain procedures, medicines, or intervention.
> What makes that so hard to answer in the case of your little one is that there is not a firm diagnosis so it is not possible to weigh things.
> Like anyone else, we have run into both situations, though usually in the 24 years we have had ferrets in the family the ones we have encountered have been ones where the medicines provided quality and sometimes also quantity of life. Remember that proportionally each year of quality time gained is like 10 years of quality life gained for human. Is each individual fortunate enough to be able to be helped? Sadly, no. Sadly there are also times when a mercy shot is the best approach.
> It seems like you don't have enough information to know either way yet, though. For instance, if your little one wound up with heartworms the situation could be quite different from dilative cardiomyopathy, or with a lung infection it may depend on what type of organism is infecting.
> What has been tested for so far?