From:
"j01211970"
Date: 2009-03-12 12:58:38 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Now My Gaston is sick.....Lymphoma expected....
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
My Gaston has been VERY wheezy for several months...
He has been to the vet in the past for it... but his chest sounded clear, a partial ultrasound did not show any fluid.... so he was given Clavamox.
He did have some improvement w/the clavamox..but it never went away.
As time went on... he started to look bloated in the belly area, and the wheezing got worse (louder, more pronounced)... So when I went to pick up Lucas from the vet who saw him on his emergency, I took Gaston to have a chest and abdomin xray/ultrasound...since they have a traveling tech/vet who does ultra sounds all day long. This was on Tuesday of last week, and I was advised all was fine and he was just a fat ferret, and this was causimg his wheezing...
However....he did not seem right, and after loosing my other two so close together...I brought him into his normal vet.
He reviewed the xray and ultrasound from the other office, and at firswt did not see anything. He listened to his chest and said he was slightly conjested. Then he decided that the chest xray was not very clear to read so he wanted to repeat it.
He took another chest xray....this xray revealed a possible aspiration pnemomia, based on two spots on the lung... My vet sent this out to a radiologist for a 2nd opinion.
The radiologist confirmed possible pnemomia, mass and/or asthma/allergies....
My vet then procded w/his own ultra sound... he was not happy what he found. He said he saw an infiltration in the lung in two places...some scare tissue... and he wanted to do a needle biopsy of the lung to confirm diagnosis. He did advise there was a 1% chance of leakage into the lung during this procedure, which would result im death...so after loosing two ferrets in the same week I declined.
We decided, he would start a round of baytril .5cc 2x daily 11.3ml/mg and a broncho dilator...and see how he does.
My vet was pushing strongly for the aispiration....
Gaston was also having some feces issues (loose, birdseed, green, nonconsistant), he was diagnosed w/IBD two years ago and has been successfully controlled since w/Vivify and food change to TF baby formula (Z/D did not help him).
So my vet took a full CBC and Feces pannel.
Feces came back showing inflamation and CBC showed an elevated calcium (15). My vet suspects Lymphoma and wants to do the needle aspiration to confirm, and begin agressive treatment.
I am beside myself....this will be my 3rd VERY sick ferret this momth...from a group of ferrets who have been otherwise healthy.
I am afraid of the test to confirm because at this poimt a 1% risk is just too high for me. I asked to continue the antibiotic to see if he if he had improvement.
Well...he has been on it 4 days today, and it is hard to say...sometimes I think he has improved....and then others....he is VERY wheezy and it passes. He was grinding as well, so he was also started on carafate. I think he is not eating his kibble because I have not seen him at the food bowl, and he really has no interest inthe bandit treats he LOVES.
He will walk around and play some, but is very stressed over ,my giving meds becauses he hates to get meds. He shakes and sometimes I suspect some pain....
Dose anyone have any advice or suggestions....
At this point I am just devistated and worn...and his symptoms are just too similar to my Lucas....
They also oddly both had a slight red rash on thier noses...
Very worn, worried sick ferret mom,
Judy
Metroferret, NJ
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