From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-12-20 17:29:47 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Question about mysterious skin affliction on DMK kid after spaying
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Wolfy" <wolfysluv@...> wrote:
>
> Craziness in this house. After one dose of .25ml of benedryl last
> night and two apps of topical antibiotic it is almost gone ... it's
> THAT dramatic of an improvement. What in the world?
>
Be careful about WHICH topical antibiotics are used just as you
would with any OTC since since OTCs are not safe for ferrets (a
place where using the FHL Archives is esp. handy).
Think dermal allergy as a strong possibility here. Our experience with
Hilbert and his is that those can be
1. contact allergy
2. something eaten (includes treats)
3. an airborne allergen
4. something injected
If dermal allergies become too pronounced then secondary
bacterial infections can set in. Those can get pretty nasty.
Hilbert got bad enough one time that we fully prepared to
expect cutaneous lymphoma (which IS treatable but skin
biopsies, not just scrapings in that case, are essential just
as they are for some other things).
Also, if the allergies become too pronounced the ferret can
look like there is adrenal disease. These ferrets do NOT
show positive on the TN Panel, though, and they do NOT
regrow any fur for Lupron. They DO regrow fur for melatonin
implants IF the underlying allergies and infection have been
gotten under control. The reason melatonin regrows fur for
them is the SAME reason that fur regrowth with melatonin can
not be assumed to be reducing or controlling adrenal disease
since it has effects on skin:
BEGIN QUOTE
J Histochem Cytochem. 1996 Apr;44(4):377-87. Links
Transforming growth factor-alpha immunoreactivity during induced hair
follicle growth cycles in sheep and ferrets.
Nixon AJ,
Broad L,
Saywell DP,
Pearson AJ.
AgResearch, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) has been associated with
cell proliferation of keratinocytes and implicated in hair growth. We
therefore examined changes in the immunocytochemical localization of
TGF-alpha and cell proliferation markers in the skin of two unrelated
species in which hair cycles could be induced, to elucidate the role of this
growth factor in the control of fiber growth. Skin was collected from
melatonin-treated ferrets (Mustela putorius furo), untreated Romney
sheep (Ovis aries), and New Zealand Wiltshire sheep in which interruption
of wool growth had been photoperiodically induced. Immunostaining
patterns were very similar in ferrets and sheep. TGF-alpha
immunoreactivity was observed in epithelial tissues of the skin but was
not co-localized with cell proliferation markers. In anagen follicles, specific
staining was most intense in the innermost cells of the outer root sheath
and cortical cells in the keratogenous zone but was absent from inner root
sheath or dermal papilla. TGF-alpha immunostaining diminished during
catagen, although faint staining was retained in all epithelial cells. In
telogen and early proanagen follicles, staining remained faint or was
restricted to cells on the margin of the brush end and follicle neck.
Immunoreactivity in the outer root sheath was reestablished in late
proanagen. Sebaceous glands and epidermis were stained intensely
throughout the hair cycle. TGF-alpha-immunoreactive components of skin
extracts, analyzed by Western blotting, showed mobility corresponding to
approximately 32 KD, but not to the size of the fully cleaved peptide. These
results are consistent with an epithelial autocrine or juxtacrine, but not a
mitogenic, function of TGF-alpha.
PMID: 8601697 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
END QUOTE
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
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