From:
"Bruce Williams, DVM"
Date: 2008-06-29 14:46:52 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Brain Tumors In Ferrets
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Dear Karen:
The group has covered most of the bases here, with insulinoma and
middle ear/inner ear infection being covered.
A couple of comments on ottitis interna, however.
a) Bloodwork doesn't often lend a lot of help with infections of the
inner ear and brain. The skull is a pretty closed box, infections can
be roaring along in there and rarely show signs in the peripheral blood.
b) When your vet does an ear examination, he really can't see much of
the ear. Sometimes the eardrum can be visualized (it is not as easy as
in humans where the ear canal is straight), but you really can't see
what is going on on the other side of the eardrum, where the bad
infections play.
Regarding brain tumors - yes, they happen, and in an older ferret it is
more of a consideration than in a younger one. You have described
acceptable symptoms for one - circling, etc. and although rare, they
certainly belong on the list. The blindness may or may not be relatd -
many older ferrets have retinal disease and are blind and owners rarely
realize it, as they compensate so well. But put something else on top
of it, and it becomes readily apparent.
In ferrets, the majority of brain tumros are lymphoma ( lymphoma goes
anywhere it wants to.) Then you have meningiomas - tumors of the
coverings of the brain which are benign but compress the brain as they
grow bigger, then astrocytomas (similar to the malignancy affecting
Senator Kennedy), and finally the really rare one-offs that don't
really bear description. Of these meningiomas are the only one that
are really surgically treatable, but with an old adrenal and insulinoma
ferret, well that is a call that I certainly wouldn't make.
Hope this helps.
Bruce Williams, DVM
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Karen McCabe"
<cinnamon_sprite@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Pam,
>
> Yes, my vet did consider ear infection. He looked, though not deeply
> with sedation (he didn't feel the symptoms warranted it). I have had
> one with an infection same as your Harriet, so I am familiar with what
> you're talking about. What I'm seeing in Darla is different. There is
> no nystagmus, no head tilt, no falling over. She does circle but can
> break free and walk (or rather run....she seems to be in "full steam
> ahead" mode continuously) straight before going back to circling.
>
> Karen McCabe
> http://www.cinnamonsprite.net
>
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