From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-11-22 17:17:04 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] RE: 3 Ferrets, Elevated Liver Enzymes, High Red Blood Cell Count, Helicobacter?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Ferret blood values and other basic info (like normal temperature) can be found in:
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/physiology.htm
from:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/Clin_Path/ClinPath.html
which I have permission to quote extensively
BEGIN QUOTE
Probably the most common misinterpretation that I see on a routine basis is in the area of hepatic enzymes. Remember, that the ferret, being by nature an obligate carnivore, has an extremely short digestive tract, and requires meals as often as every four to six hours. Should food not be available, it possesses the ability to quickly mobilize peripheral fat stores in order to meet energy requirements. When this physiologic mechanism is activated, the liver is literally flooded with fat, which results in hepatocellular swelling which may be marked. The result of this swelling is the leakage of membrane enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase, and as the hepatocellular swelling increases, occlusion of bile canaliculi occurs, resulting, over time, in elevation of alkaline phosphatase.
In conjunction with this physiologic change, elevations of ALT up to 800 mg/dl can be seen, and alkaline phosphatase up to approximately 100 mg/dl. This often causes confusion to practitioners, who render an erroneous diagnosis of unspecified hepatic disease. However, hepatic disease is quite uncommon in this species; the most common cause of true hepatic disease in the ferret is neoplasia, with lymphosarcoma causing 95% of cases. Rarely bacterial infections of the liver or biliary tree may be seen.
The diagnosis of hepatic disease in the ferret must be based not only on ALT and alkaline phosphatase, but other clinical indicators in the CBC and chem panel. Clinical elevation of icterus or an elevated bilirubin is an excellent indicatior of primary hepatic disease, or concomitant leukocytosis or pyrexia may lend additional credence to a diagnosis of primary hepatic disease.
Decreased total protein and mild hypoalbuminemia is a common finding in both ill and older ferrets. Most commonly, hypoalbuminemia indicates prolonged anorexia in the ferret, but it is also a common feature in long-standing inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. In older animals, gastroduodenal infection by Helicobacter mustelae is a common cause of mild hypoalbuminemia, and in young animals, any inflammatory bowel disease may cause this sign.
END QUOTE
You will find other parts of blood testing discussed in the article, too.
The trick seems to be finding what kind of GI disease is there and treating it. Helicobacter treatments are in the FHL archives and if there is a different bacterial cause then some of those may be tackled, too. Ferrets can get a range of illnesses that can affect the GI tract.
Have you added any new kits, or handled kits recently? ECE becomes a possibility in that situation if you are in one of the nations with that. (I have not heard of a definite case in Europe or Australia though I have heard of some cases where people thought it might be that but then never followed through with testing.) Coccidia (which requires Albon) and giardia are possibilities, as can be some food poisonings causes. If there is a respiratory component then this time of year a person wonders about influenza. The list goes on, and certainly it does include helicobacter.
Are there ulcerations happening with this in your little ones? If so, stomach ulceration call for Carafate (preferably not given with food, and not given at the same time as other meds -- we separate it from other meds usually by about an hour but ocassionally by as little as a half hour though we prefer the longer time for meds but are okay with a shorter time with foods that follow). If there are mouth ulcerations this might sound strange but we found it surprisingly effective and easy to do with the ferrets after our vet recommended it: use a cotton swab soaked in regular Listerine and put the Listerine on the mouth sore.
Here is ECE info:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/ECE/ECE.html
I wish he had his ulcer article from "Ferrets" magazine on the site because it was excellent, but the ulcer article present is a much older and shorter one.
Unfortunately, I'm not very good at interpreting blood tests, but there are others here who are and you will hopefully hear from them.
Sorry for the not greatly helpful reply, some family things have me very distracted right now.
This is a past post on feeding sick ferrets and if contains links to others to help you:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG13270
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