Hi!  I'm writing from Ferret Fanciers of Greater Milwaukee, with a couple of
medical questions.
 
It seems that we have a problem here in that quite a few ferrets have been
diagnosed with liver problems in the last six months.  It's driving us nuts!
Their liver counts should be around 76, but I currently have a ferret who
was tested as high as 1000....which is very scary to us all (and especially
to Mitey Mouse, who still doesn't feel well!).  Many average in the 700's
and 800's.
 
Any advice, comments or information would be very, very welcome by us on the
liver problem.  Mitey Mouse is only 1 year old, and we have seen it in
ferrets who are as old as 6.  There doesn't seem to be a common denominator
in this, other than the high liver counts and the need for feeding and
subQing.
 
Another question.  We are having some ferrets tested for Aleutian's Disease.
However, if anyone recognizes these symptoms, would you let us know?  This
is our other mystery!  We have ferrets of all ages who become lethargic,
won't eat, have bad poops (either really runny, tarry, or otherwise not
normal) and go pale.  This last symptoms seems to be the main coinciding
factor.  And I don't just mean paw pads; their ears, nose, gums, paw pads,
skin, everything goes white.  This occurs both in ferrets who have just come
into the shelter, and in ones who have been here a while and have already
gone through the ECE.
 
We have checked for insulinoma, iron deficiency and other health issues
through a full CBC panel, but nothing comes up as abnormal.  Occasionally,
their livers are a few points high, but we really don't feel this is it.  As
I mentioned, we are checking for Aleutian's, and should have the results
back sometime next week.
 
Any advice, info or comments would be very welcome, here, too.  Ferrets with
the liver problems are being handled with medication and the like, and most
are doing ok (we're talking in a shelter of 130 animals, we have probably
12-13 ferrets with the liver problem), but ferrets who go white on us
usually waste away, despite our constant feedings, and subQ efforts.  I've
lost two in the last six months that stayed at my house, and the Hospital
House and ICU unit have lost probably 5-6 ferrets in that time frame.
 
I should mention that these don't seem to be of contagious origin (though
that is likely, I understand) because ferrets in our shelter are kept in
five separate houses.  We have our main shelter, which only has adoptables,
a Hospital House for the mildly ill or chronically ill, the ICU unit, which
cares full-time for very ill and those needing constant care or monitoring,
Ferret Central North, a holding house in times of overflow, and my house,
the Hospice, where I keep several terminally ill ferrets who don't need
constant care.  It could be that some ferrets are immune to whatever is
causing this, and are passing it on (ferrets are moved often between houses,
depending on their status).
 
I don't know.  It is very frustrating to watch a ferret waste away despite
3 hour feedings, SubQ fluids and loving attention.  Our vet is beginning to
look around the internet, and I'm pleading here for any information.
 
Please forward anything you can to [log in to unmask]
Blessings to all.....
Cam McIntosh
VP Ferret Fanciers of Greater Milwaukee
[Posted in FML issue 2217]