>We don't know what the desk is finished with but is it possible that Henry
>could have reacted adversely to a lead based finish?  ...  he still tries to
>get in bonking his head repeatedly.  What are symptoms of lead poisoning?
>What are the treatments, if any?  Risk of permanent damage (he is a youngin'
>at 6 months)?
 
    Well, I haven't seen any cases of lead poisoning in ferrets, but they
shouldn't be much different than in dogs and cats.  However, just because
the paint on the drawer is lead-based doesn't mean that he is would be
poisoned.  He would have to eat or absorb the paint through the skin (and
that would equire fresh paint and lots of it.  But ferrets could eat the
paint chips, so you should look for areas where the paint is missing.
 
    Symptoms of chronic lead poisoning are often nervous signs - there may
be abnormal gait, nervousness, twitching, seizures, lack of contact with
surroundings, etc.  You ay also see anemia, vomiting/diarrhea (more common
in acute toxicities).  Treatments would include evacuation of any lead in
the stomach following an X-ray, and repeated injections of a chelating agent
to bind all of the free lead in the body, and a percentage of that which has
accumulated in the bone.
 
    In cases of chronic lead poisoning, there is significant chances of
permanent damage.  While the anemia and the GI signs are temporary, the
changes seen in the brain, in which neurons selectively accumulate lead
which often leads to their death, are permanent.  Once neurons are severely
injured, there is no regeneration.
 
    However, I think the chances of lead poisoning are fairly remote,
unless you find that your pet has been eating the paint off of the drawer.
 
 
Bruce H. Williams, DVM         Dept. of Veterinary Pathology
Chief Pathologist, AccuPath    Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]         Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
                               [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1245]