>I've read that a ferret's liver has the ability to "regenerate".  What
>medications could do that?
 
Dear XXXXXX:
 
The ability of the liver to "regenerate" is best seen in young healthy
animals in which parts of the liver are surgically removed.  In some
animal species, up to 90% of the liver may be regrown.
 
However, this is in the young healthy animal.  Older animals do not have
such regenerative capabilities, and regeneration is often tempered by
fibrosis, disordered and ineffective growth, and the development of
cirrhosis.
 
To my knowledge, there are no medications that truly accelerate hepatic
repair, beyond a good healthy diet and letting nature take its course.
 
>Is there anything I can do to prevent him from becoming as ill as Cara
>Mia?  Can liver problems be treated?  His GGT was 12 on a recent blood
>test.
 
Liver problems can certainly be treated, but liver disease covers a wide
range of etiologies and cannot be simply identified as "liver disease".
Definitive diagnoses need to be identified before specific treatments
are recommended.
 
I generally don't make a diagnosis of liver disease based on GGT, or any
one particular enzyme.  The most important value in the diagnosis of liver
disease is bilirubin, but even this compound may be elevated in conditions
other than hepatic failure.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
 
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[Posted in FML issue 3418]