From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2010-11-04 18:15:29 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Telemna and Hubble: need some info on a few topics
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
We knew that Telemna (who will turn 6 in a few months) had suddenly
begun strong adrenal symptoms and she has responded just beautifully
to a Suprelorin implant but we wanted to do an ultrasound on her to
see what her adrenals looked like. Everything abdominal looks fine on
her ultrasound except her adrenals, both of which are large,
especially the right one at 1.1 by 1.6 cm. The left is also larger
than normal for her size at 0.73 x 0.51 cm. So, right now it looks
like we will use the current approach and provide Suprelorin every 6
months. We could do surgery, and are considering it since that is
what we traditionally have done, but might instead just go with the
Suprelorin alone because we have heard good things about using that
for carcinoma and our experience with Morney's huge carcinoma was good
with it.
I want and need more information on dealing with carcinoma using just
Suprelorin instead of surgery. Experiences? Prognosis? If it
shrinks the carcinoma we also can reassess and decide in 6 months.
Again: experiences?
We certainly can go with surgery now in her case, but honestly, it
would be easier if we did not have that to deal with it right now
because Steve's parents who are in their late 80s and my step-mother
who is 96 all have serious health problems right now so life is
already a bit tense. On the other hand, if surgery is still the best
for this situation we will do it.
Telemna also has a kidney cyst but one that does not show any reason
to be a problem.
Because his diarrhea has become so bad Hubble who is 6 also had an
abdominal ultrasound. The diarrhea is not as responsive to treatment
approaches as I'd like so I worried about intestinal lymphoma as among
possibilities. His intestines are fine on ultrasound. His right
adrenal is a little bit plumb so he is our second ferret in almost 30
years to have asymptomatic adrenal disease, but he's got a Suprelorin
implant in him now and the growth is not large enough to be worry,
probably just the beginnings of adrenal hyperplasia. What is of more
concern in his case is that his kidneys show irregular contouring and
possible infarcts. Hopefully, they just trace back to an asymptomatic
kidney disease in the past, but blood work has been done and if he
pees again then a urine concentration (specific gravity) will be
done. If not, then he needs specific gravity run in the near future.
In humans kidney disease can cause diarrhea but I think that it has to
be pretty advanced to do that. What about ferrets? Can kidney
disease cause diarrhea in ferrets, too? Info?
He is a garbage belly who eats things he should not when he finds
them; that has been a problem his entire life. I think he is probably
the worst ferret we have ever had for that scary behavior.
We are also having CDC titers done for the Mongo Memorial Study, but
Pivot so far has not been able to give blood well enough for that.
(She's healthy and young, just not a easy one from whom to draw and
she's always been on the small side but stocky and extremely muscular.)
So, that is where we stand right now. We have to decide if Telemna
will have surgery now or if we will try the Suprelorin approach
alone. (If she has surgery she will be a Fludrocort and Prenisolone
ferret, of course, since in her case both would come out since both
are large.) Hubble does not need surgery at this time which is good
because he just is not healthy enough for surgery with his diarrhea,
but we have to figure out what shape his kidneys are in and if that
may be behind or partly behind his diarrhea.
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
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump
off the cliff."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
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