Anne:
>Dr Williams, I'm curious, how can be diagnosed this chronic infection
>(helicobacteriosis) ??? And what's the treatment???
Currently, most cases of Helicobacter are diagnosed on clinical
signs - an older ferret with intermittent vomiting and diarrhea, or signs of
gastric ulceration - tarry stools, grinding teeth, etc. Personally, I
believe that many cases of splenomegaly in ferrets are the result of chronic
Helicobacter gastritis - it causes a profound inflammatory response in the
stomach. While it can be cultured from stools in research setting, the most
common way to definitively diagnose Helicobacter is with a stomach biopsy.
Treatent consists of 2-4 weeks of Amoxicillin, PeptoBismol or Sucralfate for
the ulcers, and a bland diet. Some vets also add in Flagyl to the
treatment.
> You said that a ferret of more than 3 years old should not stay on a
>high protein diet. I have to feed Victor with c/d that I mix with lactaid
>to make him eat an off to control hypoglycemia. I know that is more
>important to keep him without hypo than anything else, but is there a way I
>can prevent the two problems? Is there a problem if I give him lactaid
>each day? He really loves it and takes around .75 liter/week right now...
I wouldn't worry about the amount of protein in the lactaid. I don't
think that it's a significant amount. Most of the protein will come fr om
the kibble that he is eating.. I would concentrate on dealing with the
hypoglycemia and let the rest take care of itself....
> And last, Victor has less and less fur on his tail, but doesn't loose
>hair on his trunck, belly, etc...
Could be simple stress. Tail hair loss is commonly seen during times of
stress, and with all that Victor has been through, he would certainly be a
candidate. As long as it remains confined to the tail, I wouldn't recommend
any further diagnostics for adrenal disease.
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP
Dept. of Vet Path, AFIP
[log in to unmask] OR
Chief Pathologist, AccuPath
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1266]
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