From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-09-24 19:37:55 UTC
Subject: RE: High Creatinine-what else?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <5751465.1127590675880.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
In
<http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00401.htm>
Dr. Karen Rosenthal of U. Penn writes:
START QUOTE
Biochemistry values in ferrets are much like what is found in other mammals with few exceptions. Kidney function tests are more difficult to interpret than they are in the dog or cat. Blood urea nitrogen concentrations range as high as 30-35 mg/dl in normal ferrets. Creatinine is difficult to interpret in ferrets. Normally, it is below 0.5 mg/dl, frequently even at 0.1 mg/dl. Elevations in ferret creatinine concentration with acute renal disease are subtle or even non-existent. It appears that when ferret creatinine concentration is elevated, renal disease is severe and long standing. Elevations in phosphorus are commonly observed with chronic renal disease. This can be used to determine if chronic renal disease is present when the creatinine concentration is equivocal.
END QUOTE
It would not be applicable for your long standing problem, I suspect, but found a reminder abut one of the human OTCs that can kill ferrets with a mention of kidney function:
http://www.aspca.org/site/DocServer/veccs_jan01.pdf?docID=131
***** Oh, and that gets me thinking! You are NOT feeding this ferret raisins or grapes are you? Those have been known to cause kidney damage in ferrets just as they can in dogs. The mechanism is unknown still as far as I know, but multiple cases are documented. *****