From:
"marci1111"
Date: 2010-11-13 01:48:06 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Advice again
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
So I'm at a loss off words for my ferret. I've spent quite a bit of money and no answers. Even started him on the Tufts protocol and today he was supposed to get his second treatment but his WBC was too low (1.5). So this second treatment was not administered but maybe its a good things since there is not a complete diagnosis that he has lymphoma, its just assumed off of clinical signs. Here are his symptoms and I am looking for a direction to go into finding out whats wrong with him. If you have any suggestions please let me know. He is 7 and is being treated for adrenal disease by the deslorlin implant and also has insulomia disease and is getting a total of 4.3mg of prednislone a day. He is displaying the following:
-Bad hind end weakness (he can get around but very difficult, dragging quite a bit)
-Lethargy; Gets up walks around for about 5 mins 3/4 times a day and then sleeps the rest. Has not played in over 4 months
-difficulty relieving himself (silently grunts when he defecates/urinates to get it out)
-distended stomach (often bloated and tight, sometimes painful
-weight gain from 2.6 to 4.05lbs now currently at 3.5lbs. (within 3 months)
-unusual breathing patterns at times (seems to take alot of short shallow breaths)
He had been seeing a specialist who has done 2 ultra sounds on him and says there is a mass in the stomach roughly 3cm, but is unsure if its a mass, lymphnodes, or tumor. I am taking him in this week to get another ultrasound by a different vet (non-specialist) to see what they think but am going to ask them to look at all vital organs. For all of you that stay up to date on medical issues do these signs point to something that I should have them focus on while doing the ultrasound? And is it possible this could have anything to do with insulomia or the adrenal diseases he already has? Does this sound like anything any of you guys have experienced? Or is 7 a max age and is it time to just let him go?
Any advice is appreciated. He eats great, and does not appear to be pain except sometimes with his abdomen area but I do give him carafate and pepcid daily now since August hoping that helps if its a GI thing. But symptoms have not subsided.
Thanks
[Since he is having a one cavity ultrasound anyway (abdominal)
consider having a chest one, too, both because it might spot
more tumors if lymphoma is the cause, and because it can
spot heart disease which is another possibility for the weight gain
and lethargy.
A CBC with Chem Panel also makes sense to consider if the
insulinoma is not well enough controlled, and with the
difficulty passing waste you need to consider possible
prostatic enlargement from the adrenal disease.
I am sorry but he may be a very sick little guy.
-- Moderator]
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