Just looking at just a FEW of the very many ways that Dr. Bruce Williams has pointed out that ferrets differ from dogs and cats: http://www.afip.org/ferrets/Clin_Path/ClinPath.html http://www.afip.org/ferrets/PDF/Ferret_GI_path_reports.pdf http://www.afip.org/ferrets/Mast/mastcell.html http://www.afip.org/ferrets/PDF/insulinoma.pdf http://www.afip.org/ferrets/aae.html (not Cushings) http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG163 >Rimadyl... worked out in dogs, ferrets are not even close to dogs. http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG202 in relation to Barf http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG279 >Total blockage of the bladder can result in death in as little as >48 hours, so we take it serously. Foul breath can occur as toxins >build up in the body in such cases, but they appear to do this far >less in ferrets than in cats and dogs. http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG643 vitamin A http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG645 food transit http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG747 GI infection http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG1013 dehydration http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG1717 >ferrets generally do not try to regurgitate hairballs like cats do. >without signs of either tarry stools or grinding teeth, I am >hesitant to go with a diagnosis of ulcers http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG2021 Heinz Bodies http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG2177 splenic clots http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG2450 >Mast cells in ferrets, like many other neoplasms, are different >than their counterparts in dogs and cats. In dogs, mast cell tumors >in the skin often behave in a malignant fashion, and may result in >death, so removal is done as early as possible. http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG2624 >gentamcin sulfate in ferrets. Ferrrets are extremely susceptible to >this product, and it can be oto-toxic or nephrotoxic. http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG2808 Notice tumor type differences http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG3071 Notice worm differences http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG4145 kennel cough http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG7585 liver and more http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG8542 liver http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG9120 >dogs with severe liver failure characteristically become neurologic >after eating due to liberation of amines from digestion and their >effect on the brain). If your vets are not ferret-knowledgeable, >they may seize on this, look at mildly elevated hepatic enzymes >(which are common in ferrets) and come up with an errant diagnosis http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG9307 >Have never seen a case of pituitary-related hyperadrenocorticism in >a ferret - although this is fairly common in dogs. Have only seen >one pituitary tumor (although I RARELY ever see pituitaries, unless >I do the necropsy), and it was not clinically significant. http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG9579 prostate exam http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG9886 >Hyperthyroidism has yet to be documented in ferrets - cat and human >replies to this method notwithstanding. And, if we did see it in >ferrets, there is no guarantee that the clinical signs would be the >same as in the dog or cat. http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG10012 gastric http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG10013 yet another tumor difference http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG11338 >The steroid resistance seen in ferret is based largely on their >resistance to common side effects seen in other species with >prolonged cortisone administration http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG11458 cat and dog bleeding disorders http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG11827 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG1177 another tumor difference (and there are many) http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG2291 liver http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG2688 glucose http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG5591 some virus differences [Posted in FML issue 5221]
