>From:    Minta Taylor <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: IBD in Ferrets
>
>Sorry I didn't mean for that to be so long, but basically wanted to
>reaffirm what the post from Utah was saying...IBD is a serious disease
>that should be "laughed" off as a "fad".
 
Read more carefully.  No one laughed off IBD as a fad.  Some are quite
concerned that a serious disease is being treated lightly by over and
misdiagnosis.  And yes by vets at times.
 
In humans Crohns (several noted humans incolved with ferrets have Crohns)
and Colitis (President Bush's brother Marvin has Colitis) are the two
most noted forms of IBD.  These diseases are not well understood in
humans but progress is being made.  They may be two forms of the same
disease differing mostly in location and prognosis.  Colitis can be
treated by surgery while Crohns might be made far worse by surgery.
 
I have still not seen anything that makes me believe that the so called
IBD in ferrets is like these two diseases.  It is very possible that it
is the case that these diseases or conditions observed in ferrets really
are the same basic disease.
 
I am offended that ignorance has led some to claim I took these serious
diseases lightly.  Diagnosing paranoid schizophrenia in ferrets that seem
to jump from fear apparently at random would be just as wrong as calling
all things intestinal IBD.
 
>From:    Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: GI (including IBD and ECE); necropsies save lives
>
>I can understand where the "fad" comment came from since a lot of people
>(non-vets) are calling anything GI "IBD" now just as there have been
>waves in the past of folks calling anything GI "ECE".  Both are real
>diagnoses when applied by ferret-knowledgeable vets, but the "diagnoses"
>that ferret people come out with and sometimes insist on can be well off
>the mark.  I'm not talking about people who read about a ferret and say,
>"Test for such-and-such because it sounds like that." because those are
>just saying, "Hey, this may be possible.".  I'm talking about the people
>who "diagnose" without any background and stick to that like glue even if
>the evidence goes against it since that has sometime led to failure to
>provide need vet care.  There is a "flavor of the week" aspect that vets
>and physicians talk about where things recently seen are more usually
>thought of, but jumping on diagnosis fads is most common among non-vets,
>as we have all likely seen.  I don't think that being aware of this
>stumbling block amounts to not taking something seriously.
 
This is an accurate and well written paragraph.
 
>For me it was clear what you meant by "connected"; your vet had read
>pieces by experts like Doctors Bruce Williams and Matti Kiupel who are
>studying ECE and the causative coronavirus in great detail, including
>its apparent ability to lead to later IBD.  IBD may well later be broken
>into multiple other groups once more is known.
 
I remain unconvinced that IBD is indeed the correct rerm even if our dear
friend Dr. Williams believes it might be.  He might be right.  If he is
then he and others researching this in ferrets could be on the verge of
discovering something that has eluded human medical research; I hope they
are.  I am a skeptic by nature however.
 
Colitis and Crohns in humans remain uncurable despite decades of research.
If IBD in ferrets is curable then this really could be important.
 
>Sounded to me like the original post had been skimmed before reply rather
>than read carefully so it was missed that the vet was the one making the
>statements and diagnosis, rather than the second poster not taking a
>lower GI tract problem seriously.
 
Not surprising you found a way to blame me.  No the post was NOT skimmed.
 
I still strongly believe that IBD is being way too much over-diagnosed as
if it is indeed a "Fad".
 
I did not state that I was positive that in that particular case the
disease was misdiagnosed.  But I remain skeptical about the huge number
of cases being diagnosed at the least tummy upset in ferrets.
 
>Once more: I'm not a vet.
 
Neither am I.  My grand-dad was but never me.
 
--
bill killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 3887]