M Marcinkowski writes:
>1.  How a vet can be SURE that a ferret has cancer without sending samples
>for pathology (spleen and lymph nodes enlargement - was it all?) 2.  How can
>she make a decision not to try to stabilise a ferret in distress (at the
>very least give him some fluids if he is dehydrated and put him into an
>incubator!) 3.  How can she try to draw blood from a ferret who isn't
>sedated (or under anaesthetic) - what was she trying to test it for anyway?
>White cell count?  4.  How can she make the decision not to inform you about
>available treatment options 5.  How can she ignore your telling her that the
>ferret is lethargic and explain it with his "entering yet another phase of
>ferret-ness and calming down even more." Has she seen a single ferret
>outside her exam room?
 
To answer:
(1) you can't, but you can be HIGHLY suspicious in some situations, but
need to verify it with a biopsy.
(2) not having been there, it's impossible for me to second guess what
the other vet was thinking or saW.
(3) we draw blood from unanesthetized ferrets all the time, esp when
they're sick.  Odds are she was running a general screening panel, the
equivailent of a CBC and SMAC in people.
(4)+(5) Again, I wasn't there but I doubt if it was done out of
maliciousness as you've implied.
 
--
Bruce S. Levine, DVM
 
"Lost in Cyberspace"
[Posted in FML issue 1699]