From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2009-09-05 16:41:14 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] picking brains: unusual changes in blood work
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Regular blood work for his age picked up a somewhat low red blood
count 2 weeks ago. Rest normal. Follow-up blood work today also had
him show 41 for glucose. Checked twice. Same result. No symptoms
and glucose was normal just 2 weeks ago. Yet more blood work going
out to check further.
Unfortunately, the only things I know that will cause a dramatic
change like this are non-standard pancreatic tumors such as lymphoma
in the pancreas (and we have kept one going okay for almost a year
with that in the distant past) and the more serious pancreatic based
carcinoma (and we got an extra 3 decent months for one with that in
the past). BTW, with those two illnesses we found that regular access
to some dietary sugars through the day helps with maintaining
smoothness in blood glucose levels, but they are quite different from
insulinoma.
While insulinoma can not be discounted offhand this would be highly
unusual timing for insulinoma and when insulinoma involves a rapid
change there tend to be symptoms as opposed to some times when it
comes on slowly. Both lymphoma and carcinoma based in the pancreas
can be free of symptoms until a massive and potentially fatal crash
occurs. Been there twice, with both needing gentle cheek puff A.R. to
muzzle and one needing warming on the way to emergency care as well as
the usual glucose replacement, etc. Insulinoma is the gentlest of the
three for the pancreas, and for the pancreas carcinoma is the worst of
the three.
No glucose counts were low before, let alone this low. He remains
without symptoms.
If it was one machine rather than 2 with both checked and double
checked I'd think the machine was busted or miss-set.
Other possibilities to consider? I know there are other pancreatic
problems that are very rare, but would have to look them up to see
which might fit to also consider if the blood work that was sent out
also shows strange results.
Background:
Symptomless ferret, male, neural crest genetics, genetically prone to
cystine uroliths. Early old age but close to middle old age; will
turn 7 years in about 3 months. (We currently have two neural crest
ones who are getting on in years who are also prone to that type of
urolith so can not eat high protein since the levels of 4 amino acids
(cystine, ornithine, lysine, and arginine) must be kept down. Also
had a congenital bladder diverticulum (repaired) and bilateral
hydronephrosis when very young. Both adrenals came out at same time
as bladder repair for stones and the pouch because the pressure of the
huge kidneys on them had badly enflamed them but the R could not come
out completely and just began over-producing estrogen this year, so he
gets Lupron but has also spent his life on Fludrocort and low levels
of Prednisolone.
This is our Hilbert who saved my life when our furnace malfunctioned
in a past year, and who still monitors me when my asthma kicks up, and
even tried to monitor some snuffling pugs at the vet hospital today.
He is a truly marvelous individual.
(Our other one with neural crest problems, who is showing her age more
even though she is only turning 6 in two months is due for surgery
for insulinoma, BTW. This is unusual for us. In our almost 30 years
-- maybe 27 years now if I were to guess -- with ferrets we've
typically only had about 20% with any of the various pancreatic
illnesses but we have recently had a symptomless one have a small
insulinoma come out during a different surgery recently (this is
someone who had another small and symptomless insulinoma come out 3
years before during a different surgery then went 3 years till the
later one), have one who clearly appears to have classic insulinoma
who is now being treated and will have surgery, and now Hilbert has
these weird test results which could indicate a possible pancreatic
illness but with no symptoms at this point.)
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
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