From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-12-31 19:35:57 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] RE: PREPARATION OF DIMS RESEARCH CANDIDATE
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Okay, first of all, have any of these ferrets had the necessary confirming pathology done? There are misuses of the term, DIM, including by vets. It is rather like what used to happen with terminology when ferrets had any cause of diarrhea in the early days of ECE.
The two pathologists who can do the needed tissue sample testing are Doctors Mike Garner of Zoopath, and Matti Kiupel of Michigan State. Some others have looked at a smaller number of cases, but these are THE pathologists who are systematically studying it. Also, a few other people who had been jointly looking at it lacked time to continue to do so. These two veterinary pathologists also are sharing all of their data with each other to get the best results and are even doing some non-standard tests (some of which have been financed by donations from the International Ferret Congress) to try to get to the source of the problem.
Dr. Katrina Ramsell of Southwest Animal Hospital in Oregon is THE person who has been following reports of such cases and the treatments used. She knows of claims of cured ferrets, but so far none of those have had pathology done to confirm that DIM was even involved. Also, so far none of those medical approaches that produced cures (whatever the causes in those cases) have worked on any ferrets with confirmed cases. Dr. Ramsell has doctorates in both veterinary medicine and pharmacology.
Your vet should be in touch with these people, please.
There are a range of diseases which have been mistaken for DIM at first: other causes of sepsis, JL, other lymphoma type(s), Canine Distemper, meningitis, etc.
While DIM patients can lose appetite most do not; most retain a good appetite but are weak enough to need help to eat.
What is the white count like?
Signs of sepsis present?
Temperature?
I will send you the contact info for those experts separately.
-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
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