From:
"Meryl Faulkner"
Date: 2008-12-10 05:03:06 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Felicity - hind leg weakness, update, and sad end of the story
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
The last time I wrote about Felicity we were guessing lymphoma as
the cause of the hind leg weakness, the mass on radiograph under the
spine (even I could feel it) at the hips. At my vet's suggestion we
were anticipating trying radiation therapy. A local veterinary
specialty hospital does radiation therapy on dogs and other animals
and was interested in trying it on a ferret. The dose administered is
not high, the idea is to slow down tumor growth and also kill some of
the cells. My veterinarian (just before my trip out of town) had
sampled the mass for a local lab and it was lymphoma. Unfortunately
the tumor was fast growing, she was eating less (chicken baby food,
meds and liquids), and in the few days I was gone to speak at a
conference(Friday morning to Sunday noon), my roommate actually was
worried she would die before my return, she became very weak. Sunday
when I got back, she perked up a little; continued taking her chicken
baby food, and the pred, fluids and torbugesic seemed to help. On
Tuesday at 11 am the 25th there was an appt scheduled for a
consult/treatment at the veterinary specialty clinic.
I took Felicity over to my vet an hour prior to the specialty vet
visit, and she felt that although F was still lethargic, she still had
spinal reflexes, and responded to deep pain, and maybe there was a
chance radiation therapy would help. However as a precaution she ran a
blood sample at the clinic, and was disturbed by the calcium level,and
a few other indicators of kidney problems. The specialty vet called
her just as the results came, and said that the chances were that even
with the radiation, because of the destruction of the tumor cells, the
products of lysed cells would send her into kidney failure. In
addition, since the tumor had grown so rapidly, even if she survived
the treatment, it likely would return pretty quickly.
I took her home and said I would bring her back in for euthanasia
when she seemed uncomfortable, or if she became unconscious. Ferrets
are remarkable and she took food, panted a little when she needed to
be cleaned when she had pooped, and one good day she snarled at Xena
whom she dislikes intensely.
On Saturday morning the 29th when she seemed semi-conscious and
reluctant to lick fluids (plus her little rear had gotten redder -
despite Desitin applications), I took her in for euthanasia and after
she died we pressed her little paws into a clay coaster thing and my
vet will bake it so I'll have her paw prints. I have lots of cute
pictures of her as well.
I took her to the county lab for necropsy on the 1st, got her body
back on the 4th. The preliminary verbal report was a mass in her back
and her spleen was abnormal. The veterinary pathologist said she
thought that the mass was possibly a chordoma, and her spleen looked
inflammatory. Samples from those tissues were sent out for histology;
results in about 4 weeks. I looked online, and although the vet.
pathologist said she had seen chordomas in several ferrets, I assume
she meant the kinds that are found on tails. Chordomas (from what I
read online and on Dr Bruce Williams' site) seem to develop from the
notochord (the primitive version of the spinal chord in the embryo).
PubMed has 11 citations re ferrets and chordomas, but only a few seem
relevant- a report of 2 cases of cervical chordomas, and one of a
thoracic vertebral chordoma. If Felicity's mass is a chordoma it would
seem to be at about L4 or L5. I'll have to get a copy of the
radiograph, or ask my vet to check. I'll post the final results when I
get them.
The house feels pretty empty now my chief foot warmer in bed and
secret favorite has gone - even though there are five fuzzbutts still
wandering around causing trouble and looking cute when caught.
However, buxom Babs has taken to sleeping against my rear end if I
haul her onto the bed at night - which helps a little.
One final question re euthanasia. The veterinarian who euthanized her
(and who has ferrets of her own) suggested that if I didn't mind the
wait, that she just give her the intra-peritoneal injection of
phenobarbital.With other animals they usually give the pentobarb,
followed by an intracardiac injection. However Dr X said in her
opinion the ip shots (she gave an initial 1.0ml of the pentobarb,
followed after a short time by a second 1.0ml)seemed to be a little
better for ferrets. It does take longer for respiration to cease, and
the heart to stop, but it seems like a pretty peaceful way to go.
Maybe she (like myself) worries about the intracardiac shot if the
animal is still slightly aware. Although I guess you could argue that
with ferrets they are usually pretty comatose by the time its time for
the final end (at least in my experiences). Any thoughts?
Also,someone from the UK mentioned that in Britain the euthanasia
solution is blue, whereas here in the US (at least in my state) it's
pink.Presumably just a color difference between either diluent or
manufacturers?
Meryl
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