I am too busy to skim much but did a bit of search so check in some of
these, and others may make good reading, too.
http://miamiferret.org/fhc/physiology.htm
 
http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0205&L=ferret-search
&F=&S=&P=26845
(on one incidental possible cause of a certain lipase reading)
 
http://www.ferret-universe.com/health/cbc.asp
 
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/108/1/86
I THINK I recall part of that in
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
as part of an article, so check...
 
Later thought: pass along the article on confusion and controversy...
in the vet and vet path section to your vet!
http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/oldbib/ferretla.htm
From _Biology and Diseases of the Ferret, 2nd edition, page 127
Resting serum ammonia level 200-400 ug/dl
 
Each of the above should be worth your vet having, I think, for reference
and for fun.
 
Well, vet pathologists are the ones who have determined that ferrets do
not get colds, and I am sure the pharmacology industry isn't happy about
not having that easy an animal model to use for product testing.  They
get some things that LOOK like colds and ARE often mistaken for colds,
but it IS IMPORTANT to know the difference.  Why?  Because the true cold
is from a viral source which is short-lived -- rhinoviral cause, but what
ferrets get are bacterial infections (same as we do with sinus infections
and we CAN trade those back and forth) which are potentially more serious
and can move down the respiratory tract to cause serious illness.  BTW,
they do also get allergies at times.  Want verification?  Check with a
vet pathologist who does ferrets, or with the pharmacology industry, or
in texts like the one above which also are used by medical researchers
due to detail of the information on things like zoonoses (Some vet texts
are best for teaching, some for hands-on care, some for looking up
things not used or encountered in standard ferret health care, etc.
This particular one is especially good for the unusual stuff.).
 
Jules has already read this, but here is a GREAT reference for everyone
else:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/Mast/mastcell.html
(Only one has ever been found in a ferret which was not benign and that
one was internal.)
 
Vax with possible adrenal symptoms: In this case let the vet who knows
your individual make the call.  There is some protection past a year but
no one knows for how long.  The vet will decide based on how long it has
been since the ferret was vaccinated, the state of the ferret's health,
the local rate of such illnesses, possible timing of surgery, and the
hospital policy for how and where animals with such potentially serious
illnesses move in the hospital, etc. -- things no one here can judge.
Besides, your vet is the one who is going to have the optimal level of
info in general.
[Posted in FML issue 4647]