My good friend Starla's ferret Halie died this weekend at the tender
age of 15 months.  At this point, we aren't sure what caused Halie's death.
There appears to be a connection with an antibiotic called Tribrissen.  If
*any* of your animals (including dogs and cats) are on this drug, you
should read this post and ask questions of your vet.  If you have had a
similar problem with Tribrissen, please contact me privately!  Here are the
things we do know:
     1. Halie may have had a blood clotting or bone marrow problem.
     When she was spayed and descented in October, 1994, she bruised
     horribly on her rear end.
     2. Halie developed a cyst in her mouth that was removed by
     surgery 3 weeks ago. Halie bled profusely during surgery.
     Unfortunately, at this point the tissue that was removed is
     apparently lost in the mail on its way to Dr. Williams.
     3. Starla's vet placed Halie on Tribrissen for 10-14 days. Halie
     finished her medicine last Sunday and seemed fairly active.
     4. On Friday evening, Starla noticed Halie had bloody spots on
     her body (almost not visible because of her thick, beautiful coat.)
     5. On Saturday, the vet noticed Halie was yellow so he drew blood
     from her juglar vein. It took 4 attempts since Halie was so wiggly.
     Finally, he gave her gas to relax her. She almost didn't come out
     of it. Bloodwork is due back Monday from the lab. Her packed cell
     count was 39 (low normal.)
     6. Hours later, Halie's neck turned a horrible black and blue and
     was twice its normal size. When I saw Halie at 8:30 PM, I
     suggested we rush her to the emergency clinic since her gums were
     pale and she was cool. On arrival, her body temperature was 96
     (normal is about 102.)
     7. The Oregon Ferret Association shelter had 6 ferrets donate 30
     ml blood for a transfusion at midnight last night. The vet gave
     Halie Vitamin K and dex. Everyplace they stuck a needle in her,
     she bled subcutaneously. Her packed cell count was now 29 after
     the transfusion.
     8. This morning, Halie was placed on oxygen. Her packed cell count
     was now 22.
     9. The OFA brought over 5 more males to be blood donors. As they
     were getting ready to give her the first unit, she died.
 
    The emergency clinic vet said they have seen 4 dogs come in with
similar symptoms.  All had been on Tribrissen and had not been in contact
with rat poison.  (The symptoms are similar - they bleed to death.)
     Dr. Burgess and the emergency clinic (Dove Lewis in Portland) have
decided they will *not* use Tribrissen on mammals (it still must be used
on some small animals such as gerbils.) The manufacturer had been
previously contacted and is aware of the problem. They do not think there
is a reason to recall or re-evaluate the drug. The manufacturer has also
been unwilling to disclose the number and severity of reactions.
Apparently, this drug hits the bone marrow hard. If an animal has a
compromised system, it may kill them. Halie's nasty bruises when she was
descented indicates that she probably had a problem which should be
determined by an autopsy.
        I repeat, if *any* of your pets are on this drug, ask questions!
Ask your vet if there is something else that will work instead until the
safety of this drug can be determined.
 
        -Carla Almaraz
        Oregon Ferret Association
 
Rest in peace, dear Halie (1994-1995). Jocko, Bear, Baretta, Gunther, and
many other loved ferrets have crossed the Rainbow Bridge before you. I
hope you can find each other and can have a good time dooking with each
other until your owners can join you and play once again.
[Posted in FML issue 1270]