From:
"Julie_Fossa"
Date: 2007-05-21 22:08:43 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Please read: Is it DIM? Things just keep getting more confusing...
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi Amanda,
I'm sorry your Burton is so very sick.
If you and your vet are suspicious of DIM, the best way to know if
you are battling this horrific illness is to get the bloodwork to
identify certain values, and above all, to get a muscle biopsy.
When Baby had DIM, my vet did a muscle biopsy on her. Honestly, the
thought of that scared me more than the thought of the illness. She
was so very ill before she came to me, however, the biopsy was so
simple to have done, I was amazed. Baby's story is in the FHL
archives, and you can easily search for it if you are interested.
When your vet does a muscle biopsy, you will need to give Burton his
feeding about 4 hours prior to his scheduled surgery time. They will
mask him down with Isofluorane gas, an area on his 'thigh' will be
shaved and scrubbed, then a small incision maybe 1.25 inch long will
be made. A tiny piece of muscle tissue about the size of a grain of
rice will be removed and the skin sutured closed again. Burton will
wake up not long afterward as it is such a quick procedure, he won't
need to be under anesthesia very long at all.
Once I brought Baby home again, she could use the leg just as she did
before her procedure. Having the muscle biopsy done allowed us to
get a definite diagnosis to justify some of the big hitter drugs
needed to fight this disease.
Amanda, I have some pictures of Baby that were taken during her
illness, including after her muscle biopsy. I would be happy to send
those to you if you are interested. Just email me off the list and
I'll send the file to your email address.
Since there are other things that could cause similar symptoms, it is
even more important to get that biopsy. If it is negative, you can
focus on other illnesses that it might be, and provide medical care
that will target the right disease.
Good luck and let me know if you would like to see the pictures.
Julie
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "manajane21" <amandadegraw@...>
wrote:
>
> My ferret Burton has been presenting symptoms of DIM over the last
week. > Thanks, Amanda
>
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