From:
"Meryl Faulkner"
Date: 2008-10-02 00:49:35 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Distressing last moments of ferret, what happened, please?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Ulrike" <ferretlove.uk@...> wrote:
>>
> Nipper, 8 1/2, last year he was diagnosed with chronic lung disease and
> cardiomyopathy. He got Fortekor (Benazepril) and a few months ago we
> started Theophylline. He was already on Prednisolone because of
insulinoma
> and the pred was needed for the lung condition, too. And 4-5 or so
months > ago we started Furosemide because he started coughing with
fluid in his > lungs. He did quite well until recently.
>>
Ulrike,
Some of the symptoms your ferret had just prior to death reminds me of
Evelin (5yo female)who died a few months ago. She had been taken to
the vet in feb 2008 because she was diagnosed with insulinoma (slowed
activity, low bg)but when put under for surgery had extremely slowed
heart rate. The vet decided to not go ahead with surgery, she was
given pred and diazoxide for the insulinoma. After listening to her
heart the vet (vet heard irregularity)she suggested putting her on
Enalaprin (an Ace inhibitor similar to Benazepril). She gave me a
bottle of lasix just in case we needed to start her on it if she had
fluid build up in her belly or lungs.
She did well for a while(ultrasound in May showed good function). Then
about July 4 we noticed she was less active,her appetite decreased,
and her eyes looked squinty - that "sick eyes" look that's hard to
describe but is very worrying.
I talked to the vet, checked her blood glucose (it was a bit low), and
decision was to increase her pred and diazoxide. I said I'd try force
feeding her. By the 11th she was trying to regurgitate the meds (even
given with ferretone) and the baby food, so I scheduled for Monday
14th to take her in - I was worried, but ferrets usually go downhill
slowly. I managed to get small amts of food into her, but she seemed
nauseated.
Monday am I got up early, decided to get fluids into her before the
vet appt, and gave her 3ccs runny chicken baby food. she reluctantly
swallowed it, but drooled and some came out. I tried another 2 ccs she
coughed, gasped for about 15 seconds, and as I was frantically trying
to get her into a blanket to move her, she gave a big cough, stopped
breathing and died. I tried mouth to mouth and chest compression (in
retrospect that was crazy, but one does crazy things when upset)but
now I know what they mean when they say the light goes out of
their eyes. There was no Evelin looking out at me. I felt so awful
about the attempts to force feed her for those last few days.
The necropsy showed no signs of insulinoma, but the diagnosis was
heart failure. The heart was enlarged, and there were other findings -
I think fluid in the lungs, and maybe some hemorrhaging in other
sites. I don't have the necropsy report in front of me - but when I
find it I can scan and send it off list to you for a comparison with
your situation. She never showed any physical signs of fluid build up,
so I had never (per the vet)started her on lasix.
My vet treats a lot of ferrets here in So Cal, and while I was
hypothesizing lymphoma after she died, she said she thought
it might turn out to be the heart problem - just from the final
symptoms. Maybe one cause of the vomiting and coughing might be that
if not enough oxygen is getting to the brain/body/lungs, then when
food goes down the esophagus, it causes increased difficulty in
inhaling air down the trachea, or maybe all the systems are shutting
down and the body just says - no more food in the GI tract I can't
handle it. Don't know if this is a valid premise, but wild birds being
rehabilitated can die from an inability to cope with food or fluids
after the body has started to "shut down".
Maybe some of the veterinarians on the list can shed light on the
actual causes of gagging or regurgitation when heart problems occur,
or if the regurgitation is a symptom of a problem secondary to the
heart failure.
BTW your English is fine. I was born in South Wales (you're in Mid
Wales I think?)and you write/speak English as well or better than us
natives. And most of us can't speak Welsh with any fluency either!
Meryl
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