From:
"Tressie"
Date: 2009-02-22 12:32:11 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Please help if possible, Bear now anemic
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Mary,
I am very sorry that you lost your sweet, dear Bianka.
My vet is also not very keen on Depo Medrol because it has not been
studied very well in ferrets.
Now this is really a long shot but Sampson, who will be 4 on March
1st had similar GI symptoms to what you describe off and on for 4
months, literally screaming when the bloody diarreah hit. Out of
desperation because nothing we tried was working for very long, a vet
suggested we treat him for proliferative colitis caused by Lawsonia
intracellularis. This is usually seen in ferrets under a year old,
however, this vet said she had seen it in several older ferrets that
was confirmed with colon biopsies.
So he was put on chloramphenicol (chlor palm 250) for 2 weeks. You
have to be careful when handling this medication because it can cause
fatal aplastic anemia in humans. We have not had a recurrence,
however, this little guy has general poor health and underwent a
splenectomy January 30th and had a large tumor removed at the same
time, which forunately turned out to be benign. But his recovery
from surgery has taken a long time, he had an allergic reaction to
the ampicillin he was on post-surgically and is still mildly anemic.
I think some ferrets like Sampson and perhaps Bear have a compromised
immune system and are prone to getting more illnesses as a result.
Anemia is a common presentation with lymphoma but can be due to other
things. The blood transfusion Patty suggested is an excellent idea,
as well as, her suggestion to check his reticulated platelet count to
see if his body is regenerating blood normally.
Are any of his peripheral lymph nodes swollen? You might consider
having a needle aspirate done of one of the nodes without Bear
undergoing more invasive exploratory surgery if heart function is a
concern.
Hoping for a positive prognosis for Bear.
Warmest Regards,
Tressie
> The pred depo, which I will guess was Depo Medrol, may be the cause
of
> the high glucose readings. My vet tried my ferret Charlie on this
for
> his insulinoma, Charlie's readings fluctuated from 70 to well over
400
> for the next 3 to 4 months, until the depot wore off.
>
> > Does this sound like Intestinal lymphoma? Vet says anemia is
> > probably cancer.
>
> This would be my final thought. It's something that may not show on
> any test aside from biopsy.
>
> Karen McCabe
> http://www.cinnamonsprite.net
>
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