Ferrets, as they reach the "golden years" may develop one of a number of
problems which result in a lack of vigor, difficulty in using the
hindlegs, and hair loss. As a veterinary pathologist who sees a lot of
ferrets, the three most common problems which may result in the problems
that Ollie is showing are 1)an islet cell tumor, which releases
excessive amounts of insulin, 2) an adrenal tumor, which may release
excessive amounts of estrogen resulting in genrealized weakness and hair
loss, or 3) an enlarged spleen (we don't yet know why or how it
enlarges, but animals with this problem tend to be very lethargic.
The problem is, these problems are often difficult to pick up on a
routine exam. I work with a practitioner, who, whenever he sees these
problems, often does exploratory surgery to see which of these problems
exist. it seems a bit hasty at times, but he has so many negative
results on routine tests that it is often the fastest way to get at the
root of the problem.
I would at least suggest that you vet perform a complete cell count and
chemistry paneyl including a blood glucose test.
If he wants to read up on the latest on these disorders have him read
the following:
- Unilateral adrenalectomy as a treatment for adrenocortical
tumors in ferrets. Journal of the AVMA, 15 July 1993.
- Hyperadrenocorticism associated with adrenocortical tumor or\
nodular hyperplasia of the adrenal gland in ferrets: 50 cases.
Journal of the AVMA 15 July 1993.
- Functional islet cell tumor in six ferrets. Journal of the AVMA,
1 February 1993.
Even though your vet may be in a FFZ, he should get the Journal of the AVMA.
Good luck with Ollie. Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
[Please try to make your mailing software properly wrap lines around column
75. The majority of mail transfer agents and mail interfaces cannot
automatically wrap sentences. Each of your paragraphs was a single line,
so I had to reformat almost all of it. Thanks.]
[Posted in FML issue 0532]
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