I've been writing Dr. Williams about this but am thinking it might be a
better matter for public forum, as he is very busy and there are other
vets on line here too.  Thank you first Dr. Williams, for returning my
frantic call on New Year's Day, and my e-mail messages about Minnie.
Private replies would still be fine of course - however you want to reply
if you have time!
 
A REVIEW OF MINNIE'S CASE: On New Year's Eve I discovered Minnie very
listless and low energy - a couple steps and she would lay down.  The
emergency clinic said they were busy in surgery so I waited till the next
morning when I called Dr.  Williams, who, after asking Minnie's history,
expressed concern about aplastic anemia.  Minnie went out of heat last March
after first being bred to a vasectimized hob, after which her swelling went
down quite a bit, but then back up for about a month, then back down, which
two local breeders said was normal and called a "false heat".  Minnie is
about one-year-and-one-half old and is one pound four ounces.  She was the
runt of her litter of nine and I also have her mother, who's a year older.
I've had her since last March and she has always been high energy and
bouncy.  (I will probably spay her after this.)
 
Next I took Minnie to the emergency clinic.  There they discovered a heart
murmer, gave her fluids and a shot of a 12-hour antibiotic.  They also ran
three blood tests (red count, white count and glucose I believe) which
turned out normal, except she turned up with a white count on the low range
of normal.  Her fever was 102.5 on New Year's Eve (at home), and 103.5
(emergency clinic) on New Year's Day.  The next day her vet gave her a
full-body x-ray and told me her heart appeared irregulary shaped.  She said
it appeared the ventrical area at the top of the heart appeared bulged,
where it should be straight.  A cardiologist, however, reviewed the x-rays
and said her heart appeared normal.  FIRST QUESTION: How come a heart would
appear strange shaped to a vet, but be called normal by a cardiologist.  The
vet sees a variety of exotics and doesn't know anything about breeding
ferrets, though she told me she was experienced with ferrets.
 
My vet (first time seen by me) also said the spleen area appeared possibly
abnormal, there was some swelling at the neckline area, but more
importantly, the bowels looked like they were full of poop.  She gave Minnie
another antibiotic shot, and sent her home with me until she could consult
the cardiologist (results in two days as she wasn't working the next day).
Minnie looked really good at this point so I called back the next morning
asking if she shouldn't have antibiotics.  The other vet told me to come
pick up a ten-day supply.
 
I also must add that on the morning of New Year's Eve, Minnie got her head
stuck in a very small and light sliding ferret door - nothing that seemed
would cause such later ensuing trauma.  And she seemed fine for a while
after that, though directly after that she went to her water, didn't drink,
went to her food, didn't eat, then started to poop on a blanket - all a bit
unusual.
 
Minnie has now been on antibiotics since New Year's Day.  She was also
given an anti-inflammatory shot at the vets on the day after New Year's
Day.  She appears normal and perky.
 
The vet wants to see her after she's finished with antibiotics, though.  If
she still has a heart murmer the vet wants to run another blood test to try
and deduce the cause.  QUESTION TWO: What causes heart murmers in ferrets?
The vet says another organ could be involved.  Also, the vet asked me to
closely watch Minnie's stool output, as the x-ray showed an enlarged bowel
that appeared full of poop.  Minnie goes about what she eats and her stools
appear normal.  So, the vet, heart murmer or not, wants to x-ray Minnie
again to see what her bowels look like.  QUESTION THREE: Could the vet be
mistaken that the bowels appear enlarged?
 
QESTION FOUR: Is all this post diagnosis necessary if Minnie appears normal?
This is her first trip to the vet so I don't know if or not she's always had
the heart murmer.
 
QUESTION FIVE (the hard one): What is the underlying cause of Minnie's loss
of energy and appetite, elevated temperature and slightly low white count
(on the low end of normal, not abnormal)?
 
QUESTION SIX: What do I do now?  I guess I'm trying to get second opinions.
The follow-up tests would run me another $100 plus (already I've paid
$350.00).  This would be Minnie's third x-ray - they didn't get clear ones
at the emergency clinic.  Is it necessary?
 
Basically:  HELP!
 
Thank You,
 
Lynn Mc. and the (Thank God!) Gang of Seven
[Posted in FML issue 1438]