Message Number: FHL11993 | New FHL Archives Search
From: "marci1111"
Date: 2010-08-12 03:20:05 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Looking for some advice/help
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com

Hello,
So I am back again. My Loki (7yr old adrenal positive male ferret) is very sick. He has come along ways since the adrenal scare back in March/April. He received the Deslorlin implant in April and has done great on it. All adrenal signs have disappeared. However he is now battling new issues. Last week Wednesday he had awaken me numerous times in the night with bad cough/gagging episodes (like 4 of them). It was difficult for him to stop...I gave him water/food to help and lots of laxative thinking it was a hairball...although it did resolve the immediate cough/gag, it did continue throughout the week/weekend along with severe stomach convulsions throughout the week/weekend. His lower back have would just shake and move involuntary at times, it was so odd. He seemed irritated and frustrated at those times and expressed it by digging angrily at the carpet and sometimes laying flat out on the carpet.

I was finally able to get him to the specialist on Tuesday and she ran a few tests:
temp was extremely low: 97.6 (she said gums looked bluish in color)
Sugar: 67 again low
PCP: normal; no bleeding
She then said that when feeling the spleen and liver they were enlarged and round at the tips but not to bad. She said that most likely it is lymphoma and prescribed amoxicillin (in case of infection), pepcid (to help calm down stomach/gastritis/convulsions), Predisone (to help maintain sugar levels) and narcotic pain killer (since she said he was in pain) called Buprenex. He was given the first dose of the the pred by injection since she said that was crucial the others were all administered orally. The doctor then said that these may/may not work and I should know that evening if they were to work. Thankfully enough, the drugs have taken away the original problems (cough/gag and stomach convulsions) however I noticed at 7pm last night a problem with his breathing. I noticed he had rapid breathing patterns and it seemed like he wasn't getting enough oxygen. I phoned the vet and she said that it was not good, that rapid breathing is a sign of pain and that he probably w
ouldn't make it through the night and if he did that he should be brought in in the morning to be put down. I woke up this morning to him still with the rapid breathing but all other symptoms subsided. I took him back to the vet this morning with the following findings:

Temp: 98.6 (still low)
requested x-rays to rule out pneumonia; x-rays showed fluid in the lung cavity

Dr. said I could humanely euthanize him or we could try lasix to remove the fluid. She also said that he looked better today vs. yesterday. I opted for the lasix which she gave him an injection and told me to dose him every 8 hours.

So I've been doing some reading....could it be cardiomypology? Does he need something to help the heart push the blood? Would this not have shown on the xrays? The doctor said nothing about the heart, however when researching I have read that these 2 diseases (lymphoma and cardiomypology) have similar symptoms...also that the abdominal cavity could fill with fluids which maybe could have caused him convulsions?

Anyone go through this? I opted out of the needle bioposy of the liver b/c she said we could lose him in the process due to his condition and that most don't go through with it....Many people are telling me to put him down and its his time, however he is still eating and drinking...walks around the house, looks out the window....he isn't deathly sick if he is doing that right?

Please respond if you have any advice, suggestions, or if you have gone through this with your ferret. I would just like to do the right thing. I am thinking though it might not be lymphoma, it might be conjestive heart failure which may need medication as well.

He is pretty spaced out on the drug right now and it is hard to tell how or what he is feeling. I've been torn for 2 days now. What do you all think? Does he need more testing, should I try other meds, or should I just let him go.




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