First of all many thanks to those of you who e-mailed me on the loss of
Carnath on the 23rd June.
 
It has taken me until today to get a copy of the path labs report from my
vet.
 
Carnath became ill on the Saturday evening - the 20th, he was off his food
and his stools were very loose.  The following day things were pretty much
the same and I was giving him drinks of glucose to prevent him becoming
dehydrated.
 
First thing Monday morning I took him to the vet where he was given Baytril
by injection and also given an electrolyte to help with the dehydration.
 
I was up at 3 a.m. the following morning trying to get him to drink more
glucose by this time he was passing pure blood in his stools.
 
I took Carnath to the vet again as things were looking really bad.  Jo,
the vet, phoned John Dinsdale at my request (John is a brilliant ferret
vet) to run Carnath's symptoms past him.  John approved of the treatment
that Jo was giving Carnath but I think he may have remarked to Jo that
the prognosis was poor.  Carnath stopped taking fluids around mid-day, at
4 p.m.  I phoned the vet to make an appointment for the final visit.  At
4.25 Carnath gave a little whimper and passed over the bridge.  I took his
body to the vet for a post mortem.  The following day when I collected his
body so that I could bury him near Jill, Jo said that she'd sent various
tissues off to the path lab and that she hadn't seen anything obvious that
could have caused his death:
 
3rd July, 1998
 
MACROSCOPIC:
6 post mortem tissues.
 
MICROSCOPIC:
The section of lung reveals a severe multifocal to local extensive
interstitial and intra alveolar infiltrate of large atypical lymphoid-like
cells with fewer histiocytes, plasma cells, small lymphocytes and eosinophils
admixed.  In small isolated foci, the cell infiltrate is interstitial and
perivascular.  In more severely affected areas the alveolar spaces are
consolidated with similar cells.  The large lymphoid- like cells have a
large hyperchromatic nucleus often with a distinct nucleolus.  The nuclear
profile is round to ovoid but sometimes irregular.  These cells have a
small amount of amphophilic cytoplasm.
 
There is a marked similar cellular infiltrate multifocally in the renal
cortex.  In severest areas there is marked loss of renal parencheyma,
coagulative necrosis and haemorrhage.
 
The splenic red pulp is hypercellular - the cellularity is of large
undifferentiated round cells, variably mature granulocytes, plasma cells
and some megakaryocyte's.
 
In the myocardium, there is a minimal focal interstitial infiltrate of large
lymphocytes.
 
In the liver there is congestion and marked diffuse hepatocytic fatty change.
 
The section of small intestine is unremarkable.
 
DIAGNOSIS:
Lymphoma?
 
COMMENT:
The interpretation is not straightforward.  Significant lesions are present
in the lung, kidney and spleen.  The mixed nature of the cellularity
initially suggests inflammation but the presence of a predominant population
of apparently atypical lymphoid cells strongly raises the suspicion of
lymphoma.
 
Specially stained sections failed to reveal any bacteria, including
acid-fasts or fungi. This is not a case of Distemper and Aleutian disease
also seems very unlikely.
 
Several forms of lymphoma occur in ferrets - one of them known as an immuno-
blastic polymorphous variant and this may be such a case. The lesion also
has some features of lymphomatoid granulomatosis, a rare condition seen
most often in dogs.  Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is considered to be a
T-cell lymphoma.
 
I will speak to Mike Day at Bristol University to see if we can further
characterise these cells immunohistochemically.  If he cannot help, I will
submit this case to the AFIP for a second opinion.  However, a result from
them may take several weeks to months.
 
I apologise for the delay in reporting this case, but I needed to examine
multiple special stained sections in pursuit of the diagnosis.
 
Thanks for submitting this interesting case.
Malcolm A Silkstone BVSc MRCVS
 
Poor Carnath he was an unremarkable 5 y.o. ferret but the cause of his death
seem to be of great interest to a path lab.
 
Sheila
Bolton Ferret Welfare & National Ferret Welfare Society Newsletter Editor
http://www.btinternet.com/~sheila/ferrets.htm (Last Update 7 Aug, 1998)
Waiting at Rainbow Bridge: Jill, Deanna Troi, Cameron & Carnath
[Posted in FML issue 2395]