>From:    Chris & Shelley Knudsen <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Medical Question - Fluid in the belly
>Abby's belly is getting bigger, while the skin around her neck is getting
>flabbier, telling me that she is slowly starving to death.
>I am guessing that the swelling in her belly is from the fluid, but I have
>no clue where the fluid is coming from, or what I can do to treat it.
>Directly under where the incision was for the splenectomy, Abby's belly is
>very hard for about the size of a golf ball.  Everything else is soft....
 
First of all, I am not a vet, and I can only pass on the circumstances of
the two ferretsthat I had who presented similar symptoms, so please don't
panic.  I certainly hope that Abby does not have what Nico or Rascal had.
 
Nico (aka Mr. Neeks) was a shelter kid, about 4 or 5 when picked up.  He had
suffered a heat related stroke and was brain damaged.  He was also blind,
but I don't think that was due to his stroke.  Anyway, I do a "physical"
exam on all my kids about once a week, looking for lumps and bumps.  Nico
did not have an overly large rounded belly, he was a bit overweight, but
not bad - he had an enlarged spleen, but that was it.  I was paying more
attention to Neeks because he didnt seem to be eating as much, and I had
started supplementing his food with duck soup.  Then he stopped eating
entirely on his own.  As I was doing my weekly exam, I felt a small hard
area just underneath his ribcage, on the right side (he was on his back).
It moved a little when I touched it, but not much.  I figured we were
dealing with a mass on his spleen, and scheduled surgery, I felt he was
still strong enough to do the surgery.I got the call we all hate at work -
it was lymphosarcoma.  His belly was full of fluid with blood in it.  The
tumor s tarted (they speculated) at the lymph nodes near the stomach.  The
tumor had encapsulated his stomach, pancreas, was growing through his liver,
kidneys, intestines, part of his diaphram, and was the size of a woman's
fist.  We told the vet to go ahead and let him go to the Bridge now, the
cancer was just too involved, and there was no way I could be there to say
goodbye to Nico.
 
The second little one was Rascal, who was put down this past February.  She
exhibited similar symptoms as Nico, but it was sudden: She never was pot
bellied, and stopped eating on Friday.  We started duck soup and on Saturday
hydrated and force-fed until Sunday, when I realized that she needed a
professional - I could not keep her hydrated.  The vet on call (Dr. Small,
BTW, for anyone in the Tidewater, VA area - is a great emergency Vet at the
tidewater emergency clinic!) spoke with us after examing Rascal.  She said
Rats (her nickname) was a little tender in her belly and did an aspiration
of fluid - there were traces of blood in it.  Rascal continued to decline
and 2 hours later She called.  Wanted to do exploratory - we said yes.  What
she found was a malignant mass in her pyloric tube, that caused a
"blockage".  The food/water in her stomach had nowhere to go, and she had
perforated her stomach, so the contents of her stomach were dumping into her
abdominal cavity.  Peritonitis had already set in on all of her o rgans and
her chances were slim.  Dr. Small said that this mass had probably been
there for some time, slowly closing off her pyloric tube, and had finally
closed it sometime on thursday/friday when Rascal stopped eating.  We asked
her to not do anything, but to wait to put her down until we got there.  20
minutes later, we said our goodbyes to Rascal and sent her to Rainbow
bridge.  She was an old lady (over 8) and I just couldn't put her through
this.
 
I truly hope that your little girl will get better, or at least be pain
free.  You might want to talk to the vet about alternatives to surgery,
prednisolone will help for insulinoma, but is hard on the stomach.  Have you
done an X-ray to try and determine what it is or where it is located?  Some
vets also have access to ultrasound, which can help as well in diagnosing
the problem.  I wish I had an answer or a fix.  Sorry that this is such a
depressing response to your post.  I wish I could give a better or happier
response.
 
Lisa, Head Ferret
The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea"
[Posted in FML issue 2330]