>I recently took a 5yr old female ferret into the vet for possible adrenal
>surgery.  Lab work was done and due to the high Bun and creatinine the
>vet said she wasn't a good surgery candidate.  These are the results.  I
>was wondering if they could possibly be due to an infection rather than
>beginnings of renal failure:
>
> BUN: 50.5, Creat:2.65, TP:7.34, WBC:13.7 with 57%grans ane 43% lymphs.
> HCT'44%
>
>Would antibiotics along with fluids be an option?
 
It is very difficult to tell in this case - there are signs of both.  A
WBC of over 10,000 often indicates inflammation or infection, and a
creatinine of 2.65 is very high for a ferret.  This high of a creatinine
suggests significant renal disease.
 
At this point, I would take a close look at a urine sample - preferably
one taken directly from the bladder by a needle (cystocenteisis.) Let's
look for signs of infection there - WBC's bacteria, protein, and blood in
the urine).  That would suggest that there is infection in the urinary
tract, and a culture of the urine to find exactly what antibiotic is most
appropriate can be conducted at that point.
 
I would prefer to collect the sample before instituting antibiotics, as
administration of the antibiotics may obscure signs of urinary infection.
But you can start them immediately after and adjust them to the
appropriate kind and dose after the culture results come back.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3765]