Cheryl - There are several notable findings on the blood chemistry that you
gave me - but I would really like you to double check if the values are what you
sent -
 
        An albumin of 3.65 with a total protein of 8.5 is very odd.  Also a
calcium of over 13 is also very high for a ferret.  I would also like to know if
these tests were run at your vet's office or at a commercial lab. Could you also
let me know how old Duncan is?  A ferret's age is important to know when
considering various diseases - some are more prominent when an animal is oder.
 
        Large spleens can mean a variety of things in the ferret, however, most
do not appear to be clinically significant.  Probably less than 10% of all of
the spleens that I have seen have a recognizable disease entity associated with
them.
 
        We're probably not dealing with anything serious here, but I would like
to recheck those values before I go any further.
 
BTW, tell Dr. Stiles that if she can get a copy of Jim Fox's Biology and
Diseases of the Ferret, and keep up with her Journal of the American Veterinary
Medical Association (which almost all vets get, but few have time to read), that
that will give her a big head start on the classic ferret diseases and what's
new on the horizon.  Also, most veterinary conferences have speakers on ferret
diseases now (I have been asked to speak for 4 hours on Ferret Diseases at next
years North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, FL).  Or she can always
give me a call if she has questions at 202-576-2453/2454.
 
Bruce Williams, DVM
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[Posted in FML issue 0711]