One of my club members called me tonight.  His one year old little
girl has a swollen abdomen that 'feels sort of hard to the touch'.
And she'll bite when he does touch it.  Which is very uncharacteristic
of her, indicating it hurts her.
 
He took her to the vet tonight, and they ran some x-rays.  (this is
not a terribly ferret-knowledgeable vet, unfortunately) No blockages,
but he said her spleen was very large, and she has fluid in her lungs
(!!!).  The vet sent her home with some antibiotics.
 
The owner also mentioned that in the last month or so she's lost all her
guard hair, leaving the furry undercoat.  I don't know if that effects
anything, but I figured I had better mention it as a possible symptom.
 
Any ideas what could be causing this?  I told him to go to the local vet
that I am very comfortable with tomorrow.  But, I'm very concerned for
her, and wanted to get some more opinions.
 
Could it be a blockage?  If she was shedding, that is entirely possible.
Would fur show up on the x-ray if there were a blockage?  Do these
symptoms even sound indicative of one?  She's only one, so I wouldn't
suspect typical geriatric problems.  (although I realize that they are
far from ruled out because of that)
 
Thanks!!!
 
- Nancy
 
Nancy Hartman                                        [log in to unmask]
              President, Delaware Valley Ferret Club
     ***  Caregiver to Percy, Bree & Popcorn the ferrets  ***
  "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals" - Kant
[Posted in FML issue 1178]