reply to Linda's questions about Esperanza:
 
>Glassy urine with a specific gravity of 1.040 and a urobilinogen of 0.2.
>list of bloodwork results
 
I may be at a disadvantage because I did not see your previous letter (I very
recently joined).  Nevertheless I will attempt to answer your questions.  The
urinalysis results look unremarkable to me.  The specific gravity indicates
that Espie is able to concentrate her urine (which means her kidneys are
functioning properly.  If the sp. gr. was low (< 1.015) it can be an
indication of disease (kidneys, liver, diabetes, etc.)  The urobil. is a
little high, but not enough to concern me.(It is important what the normal
values are for the lab used.  The normal values vary a little from lab to
lab).
The bloodwork results are best interpreted with a through physical exam, and
clinical signs.  The elevated lymphocyte count could indicate infection or
something as serious as lymphosarcoma (LSA).  With the decrease in white
blood count it is likely due to a viral infection and with the more serious
LSA there should be other symptoms (enlarged lymph nodes, anorrexia,weight
loss).  It would be worthwile at the least repeating the CBC to see where
white blood  and lymphocyte counts are.
The mild hair loss/thinning could very likely be the early warning sign of an
adrenal tumor (this is by far the most common disease causing hair loss in
ferrets).
 
 I hope this helps you.
 
Dr. Weiss
c [log in to unmask]
301-299-4142
[Posted in FML issue 1045]