>Ferret #3 - same symptoms as prvious 2 ... Occasional red blood in stool.
 
Well, the animal was opened up, but tissues were not taken.  This is only
marginally better than not opening the body at all.  You can't evaluate
the gut grossly, unless there is a big piece of rubber stuck in it, or a
hairball.  I see no evidence to support any of the tentative diagnoses -
the nodules in the lungs are likely small foci of endogenous lipid
pneumonia - a background change common in ferrets.  You can't equate
changes in renal size with renal failure, especially when all bloodwork
is normal, and the liver was assessed as normal, but a tentative diagnosis
of liver failure was given.
 
I hate to be critical, but this evaluation is not credible, and the
failure to take tissues, especially when this is the third death in the
household is somewhat difficult to understand.
 
>Ferret #4 - loss of appetite, diarreha, vomitting, rapid weight loss,
>lethargy.  Ferret was sick for 1-2 weeks.  Supplemented with soup.  1 year
>has passed, and ferret is again displaying symptoms although she is eating
>this time, PLUS and blood has been noticed in the habitat, although cannot
>be sure it's from this ferret... Continues to maintain a low weight & act
>lethargic, squinty eyes, diarreha, grainy poops green/tan, etc... How do
>we stabilize ferret #4?
 
Before you do any more with #4 - it is time to do a biopsy of the
intestine.  This is long overdue, and should have been done on the other
ferrets.  You can't properly evaluate chronic GI disease based on
bloodwork and clinical signs.  Biopsy in this case is more cost-effective
than routine bloodwork.
 
>Are there any concerns feeding A/D for a prolonged period of time?  Why
>is this food treated like a drug?
 
No - you can feed it for a long time - but there are other possibilities
as well, including baby food or duck soup.  It is a prescription diet,
like other Hill's products because these foods have particular formulation
for particular diseases, and if used indiscriminately or incorrectly, they
may cause more problems than they help.
 
>Is this in any way related to arrival of 2 newcomers from shelter?
 
Possibly, but likely not, as so many of these cases occurred well after
the newcomer's arrival, and these animal had all been previously infected
with ECE.
 
>Is this in any way related to mom & dad's flu?
 
Once again, likely not - influenza in ferrets is a respiratory disease.
 
>Where is this blood coming from?
 
The blood is the result of shock - as the circulatory system fails, blood
pools in the vessels of the GI tract.  Over time, it leaks into the lumen
and is passed out.  There is no true area of hemorrhage - it just oozes
through the wall of the gut.  But let's go back again to the problems with
the post - many sites of bleeding are microscopic, too small to be seen by
the human eye.
 
>Is there actually evidence that ECE has prolonged effects after
>symptoms subside?
 
Yes, in some areas of the country, such as the East coast, it is a major
cause of inflammatory bowel disease - a recent study in my lab shows an
infection rates of 40%+ in animals diagnosed with inflammatory bowel
disease.  There is only a 10% rate in animals from the Pacific Northwest,
which suggests a prominent geographic distribution of ECE continues today.
 
Here's the bottom line - if you want answers in these cases - you have to
look at the tissues - biopsy and necropsy.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3664]