Hello all,
 
I can't express my gratitude for the outpouring of advice, good wishes
and common sense out there!
 
I took Whitey to the fert specialist in Rhode Island today, (Monday).
Upon arrival he had a temp of 108!  (He had had a temp of 106.8 I was
able to control last night).  She said he was dehydrated again, so she
Sub Cu'ed him and said get him to OSVS (Ocean State Veterinary Services)
immediately.  I did and he's been admitted again.
 
This was the first outfit that originally diagnosed him with ECE.  The
vet he saw tonight, (an exotic specialist) said she doesn't believe it
was ECE and that many vets stamp' ECE' when there's green diarrhea and
they don't know what else it is :-(  She did a complete CBC panel and
his white blood cell count was 80,000, ten thousand times the norm she
said.  They have him on IV fluids and a very potent antibiotic.  They're
trying to stabilize him so they can do biopsies in the next 48 hours.
His heart rate was extremely elevated, so much so that she couldn't count
it and he has a heart murmur.  She said that could be caused by the
anemia he has.
 
Right now he has a major bacterial infection of unknown origins.  His
spleen was enlarged and when she did a stomach tap, she got nothing.  No
stomach acid, no fluids, no air.  She says that means his stomach hasn't
been perforated which is good news.  I think whatever caused his diarrhea
in the first place was a warning that he was getting sick.  He's had no
diarrhea in the past 5 days and his stools are brown and formed but very
soft.
 
For those that asked, no, he's never had his distemper shot.  I was
afraid it would kill him.  The vet doesn't believe that's what it is
but on my insistence will test.  Should he pull through this, he and
his mates are getting vaccinated ASAP.
 
She also asked if he was from a major ferret farm in the northeast
because she said those ferts are genetically pre-disposed to some sort
of cancer-lymphoma ?  sp??  He's not, I don't know where he came from
prior to PetCo.
 
Anyway, that's his update for now.  I thank all of you for your kind
words, thoughts and prayers.  Keep up the prayers, we'll need them!
 
More updates when I know something new.
 
Leslie
 
PS.
Just scanned over the Ferret Health list...it appears Whitey might have
this DIM, although he s older than the normal age for onset :-( I've
printed Dr. Williams' alert and am dropping it off at OSVS.
[Posted in FML issue 4691]