>This is third hand, so I do not know if I have all of my facts straight. >My neighbour just returned from Prague, Czech. from visiting a friend >with a ferret. There are not a lot of ferrets there, so the vet is unsure >how to proceed. The abdomen is really swollen. Some fluid with lipids >was drawn off. My first thought was cardiomyopathy, but apparently x-rays >show the organs as normal. I have attached a picture of the ferret, who >looks like he also has adrenal disease, but I would assume at this point >that is not his primary problem. The friend is looking for any >information as how to proceed. I am sorry that I do not have anymore >information. Thank you, Your first thought is a very good one. We would need more information about the x-ray findings to discount heart problems. When the heart gets weak, fluid backs up into the abdomen. Two other possibilities are abdominal neoplasia, and most remotely, a condition called chylous ascites, in which a fat-filled fluid precipitates out into the abdomen - very rare. At this point, more information on the X-rays, an analysis of the analyzed fluids to include protein level, cell count, and cell analysis, and routine bloodwork would be the way to go. I realize that we are dealing with Czechoslovakia, so echocardiography of the heart is probably not available - but with this guy lets check the heart first, the heart second, and the heart third. With kindest regards, Bruce Williams, dVM [Posted in FML issue 3560]