Message Number: FHL2641 | New FHL Archives Search
From: ferrethealer@aol.com
Date: 2007-10-02 23:41:01 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Mastitis Re cannot understand reason for death Digest Number 922
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com

In a message dated 10/02/07 6:34:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com writes:

Just had to make sure I understand this right:
So the vet have make a mistake in the ultra sound?

**I have not found ultrasound to be of great value in diagnosing pregnancy =
in
ferrets, except in the hands of someone familiar with ferret reproduction,=

which it seems like perhaps your vet is not, given the earlier post. Even =
then,
it is not as reliable in them as it is in some species, IMO.**



Have some more questions:
What is Gangrenous mastitis?

**Gangrenous mastitis is often called E-coli mastitis, as that is the
bacteria that causes it.**


How can her kits and herself survive 5
weeks if she had an infection?

**They didn't. The infection likely began shortly before death, if this wa=
s
indeed the cause of her death.**


Why wasnt there any high temperature in
her?

**There may have been early on, but once an animal goes into shock, the
temperature is often low.**


What is the course of this coming? Is the tumor a symptom of this
infektion or what is the reason for that as I read it it wasnt cancer?

**Again, it's an infection caused by E-coli bacteria. If you are referring=

to the tumors in the pancreas, that is totally unrelated (although it may b=
e
genetic to some extent).**



What is the symptoms of this sickness and is it possibel to safe the
jill ?

**Symptoms are variable, but often the jill is perfectly normal at one poin=
t
(say in the morning) and dead or on the verge of death twelve hours later w=
hen
the owner gets home from work. A few symptoms may be black or dark purple=

spots on the breasts, painful breasts, not eating, not allowing the kits to=

nurse, a *sick* jill. Most simple mastitis ferrets will not act all that i=
ll. If
caught early on, a jill may survive given very aggressive treatment
(surgical) to remove the infected tissue. The jill should never be bred ag=
ain, as milk
production will not be normal, and the infection may recur.**



I Had a jill last year dying of a "ordinary" closed mastitis 3 days
after giving birth. It was same hob used on both jills can it be him
that carry the infektion OR what am I doing wrong :(

**I have never heard of a "closed" mastitis. Are you referring to a uterin=
e
infection? That would be a pyometra, and that's usually not related to the=

hob (although it can be), but can be related to a retained placenta or fetu=
s.**



Should I write Gangrenous mastitis as reason of death and is it
something the kits would have a larger risk of getting? Would it be
okay using one of the kits when it is 2=BD-3 years if none of the 8 kits
show signs of weakness?


**It would be my best guess, but it's not 100% that it was the cause of
death. It has not been shown to have a genetic component, to my knowledge.=
Just
sheer bad luck for the jill. However, I would be hesitant to breed the
offspring of a jill who had insulinoma, personally, especially at the young=
age that
she was. Or at least screen them very closely for signs of low blood sugar=
.**

Dr. Ruth
*****************************************
Save lives - spay or neuter your pet.



************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/