From:
"hemfcf"
Date: 2010-09-20 02:49:26 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] liver failure with blood work
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Those meds sound good for liver support, probably a product like Denamarin. This will help the liver repair itself. I know he was on Baytril but this may be helpful for him along with prednisolone to help with what may be a hepatitis. Ferrets can have higher liver values compared to dogs and cats, but those are very high. My own ferret had similar bloodwork in March. ALT=2008, AST=448, GGT=11 Used these drugs along with a splenectomy for a HUGE spleen (9oz!!)and starting heart meds for his hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and he is back to normal. Has gained all his spleen weight back but is much, much better. Just make sure he is eating numerous times daily to keep strength up and hydration normal. He may even need SQ fluids at home.
Good luck!
Dr. Heather
Posted by: "miwok34" miwok34@tvcconnect.net tncshryl
Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:23 am (PDT)
I need some advice or insight into what's going on with my 7 year old
PVF ferret, Mojave.
In late July/ early august Mojave started acting very lethargic and
had a very bloated abdomen. I took him in for an emergency appointment
one Sunday and the vet said that she felt a mass near his liver and did
x-rays. She said the x-rays show that he has a mass near his liver that
is pushing everything down. She also said that he does have a little gas
but it's nothing to worry about. She sent him home with some Baytril and
metacam.
A few days later I took him to a ferret vet who said that he doesn't
feel any mass. He did feel an enlarged spleen and we made an appointment
to have him seen aghain by the vet in a month. He also had blood work
done that was perfect.
A few days after that Mojave got dehydrated and needed to be sub-q. We
decided it was because I still had him on Baytril and so I stopped it
and he seemed to do better.
When we went back to see the ferret vet he noticed there was now an
ulcer in his mouth. We went home with some Carafate, Amoxicillin, and
pepcid. His bloodwork again came back perfect. However, a couple of days
later he stopped eating and drinking and needed to be sub-q'd again. The
vet then told me to take him off of everything.
About a week later he started having black, tarry poops and started
rapidly losing weight. He went to see the ferret vet this past Wednesday
(2 days later) and was hospitalized for two days. While there the vet
gave him (according to the bill) Vitamin B-Complex, Dextrose,
Metronidazole 500mg/(5ml/ml), and Cefazolin injectable along with being
sub-q'd once.
Yesterday, when I spoke to the vet he said that he is very jaundiced
and said that his liver values were through the roof.
The blood work results were as follows:
Test Results Reference Range
HCT 64.1% high 30 - 45
HGB 19.2 g/dl high 9 - 15.1
MCHC 29.9 g/dl 29 - 37.5
WBC 10.28 5.5 - 19.5
Lymphs 0.96 0.4 - 6.8
%LYMPHS 9.3%
MONOS 1.35 0.15 - 1.7
%MONOS 13.1%
NEUT 7.64 2.5 - 12.5
%NEUT 74.3
EOS 0.27 0.1 - 0.79
%EOS 2.6%
BASO 0.06 0 - 0.1
%BASO 0.6%
PLT 180 175 - 600
Retics 34.4
%Retics 0.3%
RBC 11.57 high 5 - 10
MCV 55.4 fl 41 - 58
MCH 16.6 pg 12 - 20
RDW 16.6% low 17.3 - 22
MPV 6.9 FL
PDW 14.5%
PCT 0.1%
ALB 2.2 g/dl low 2.6 - 3.8
ALKP 1063 U/L high 9 - 84
ALT --.-U/L 82 - 289
BUN/UREA 32 mg/dl 10 - 45
Ca 9 mg/dl 8 - 11.8
CHOL 395 mg/dl high 64 - 296
CREA 0.4 mg/dl 0.4 - 0.9
GGT 179 U/L
GLU 98 mg/dl 94 - 207
PHOS 6.5 mg/dl 4.8 - 8.9
TBIL 21.3 mg/dl high 0.1 - 1
TP 6.5 g/dl 5.2 - 7.3
GLOB 4.3 g/dl high 1.8 - 3.1
ALB/GLOB 0.5
BUN/UREA 80
Chloride 109 mmol/L low 112 - 129
Potassium 5.5 mmol/L 3.5 - 5.8
Sodium 161 mmol/L 150 - 165
Because he was eating and drinking and was very alert the vet sent
him home with some Liver Support that contains SAM-e, N-Acetyl
L-Cysteine, L-Taurine, Zinc Ascorbate, Milk Thistle, Pyridoxine HCI,
B-Complex Propriety Blend, and D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate as its active
ingredients.
I should also mention that he has been adrenal since February 2007
and has been well controlled with Lupron Depot, Ferretonin implant, and
Flutamide. Also that in July I moved from another place where he spent
his entire life and that I also adopted a new younger ferret in April
which may, I assume, be causing the stress that could have possibly led
to his ulcer?
Any help you can give me is very gratefully appreciated,
Sheryl
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