>I am overwhelmed by how many people have been writing to offer me
>support and suggestions about Patches, and I'm falling behind on personal
>thank-yous, but please everyone who wrote know I am VERY appreciative.  I
>wanted to post out here about tonight's vet visit and I will keep people
>updated in case (a) I can learn more and (b) it may help someone in the
>future.
 
Dear X:
 
My suggestion based on your very detailed description of the vet visit
would be to try to build her back up with the diet and prednisone in hopes
of eventually getting that biopsy.  Yes, the vet is correct that there
are a number of GI ailments that can cause similar signs to IBD, but the
only way to really tell them apart and tailor the appropriate therapy is
to get a biopsy of the intestine to see what is really going on.
 
Bloodwork is not very predictive for GI problems, and I'm not sure why
kidney disease is in this differential.  A fecal test will identify
coccidia if they are present, but multiple tests may be required.
 
Pred and dietary manipulation are fine in the short term for most of
the GI problems that ferrets get, but only a biopsy will determine what
precisely is going on.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3811]