>From:    Z zzzzzzz <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: x-rays
>I would just like to add my experience-- when Amelia had her blockage, none
>of the x-rays showed anything, not even air bubbles.  She became so weak
>that exploratory surgery seemed like a last best hope, and lo and behold,
>she was stoppered completely up by a rubberized felt disk about 8mm in
>diameter (the kind of thing that's used for "feet" on stereos, computers,
>etc).
 
Deja vu!  In the mid to late 80's our Sidney fell ill and we spent a month
or more going from vet to vet trying to find out what was wrong.  One vet
said his liver was huge (it was his spleen) and numerous x-rays were done.
One vet said his spleen needed to come out.  While he was in there to
remove his spleen, he found that Sid's stomach was not empty as it should
have been.  He pulled out two of those rubberized disks, just like you
described.  We still have them in a jar on display at the shelter.
 
We didn't know about barium scans at the time and no vet suggested it.  All
x-rays, and there were many done, showed absolutely nothing.  Apparently
the disks were too big to exit the stomach and block him completely, which
no doubt saved his life.  Thank God we and the vets are more knowledgeable
about ferrets these days.
 
To this day I don't know where he found those "feet" and I looked at
everything.
 
For the ferrets,
Mike
 
* Michael F. Janke, [log in to unmask]
* Secretary, South Florida Ferret Club and Rescue, Inc.
*
* Visit our shelter's web site: http://www.miamiferret.org
* Visit the Adrenal/Insulinoma web site: http://www.miamiferret.org/FHC
[Posted in FML issue 2584]