URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Marie Kubiak — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 09:04:45 GMT

[quote user="Sheryl Calway"]I’d be really interested in hearing of any other similar cases as I’ve bever seen/heard of anything like this (and hate not knowing what it was!!!!).[/quote]

I had one case that comes to mind, I can't remember the exact details but the household lost 3 or 4 ferrets in a few days. They presented collapsed and unresponsive to treatment. Very dedicated and clued up owners, no known toxin exposure. Bloods, rads, scans, post-mortems and histology all normal. Remaining ferrets moved inside and monitored, all bedding, food and everything else changed and nothing for weeks. Owner then went away and her flatmate looked after ferrets. Another two died exactly like the previous ones. The only thing that had changed was that the flatmate was defrosting meat from the original batch of food not the new stuff. The owner worked in a university and sent samples to their lab for toxicology. Unfortunately she moved to Norway around this time and I never found out results. It still irks me to this day that I don't know what it was...

Marie

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Niall Taylor — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 07:35:55 GMT

Oh dear, sorry to hear about the outcome, I'm still suspicious of some sort of intoxication despite the owners' denial, things can be missed sometimes. Sounds like you have done an incredible job thought - electrolytes checked every three hours, blimey! I am sure noone could have done any more.

Niall

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Sheryl Calway — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 00:28:47 GMT

Thanks for asking Marie.

It remains really odd, and unfortunately unsolved. I had 16 hours of treatment and monitoring post commencing 0.18% Na fluids (at 7.5mls per hour, calculated to correct hypernatremia gradually over 42 hours). Electrolytes were checked every 3 hours and slowly were reducing. Intravenous glucose, given 3 times, made no difference. Dexamethasone intravenously and antibiotics were also given.

There was negligible improvement. Both ferrets remained pretty much sedated...reflexes remained but otherwise poor response to stimulation. One ferret briefly made various attempts to lift head and seemed to sniff at a hand held out, but few minutes later returned to initial presentation. Twitching intermittently only, probably less frequently than initial presentation. One mainly ‘slept’, the other frequently ‘moving’ around cage by ‘recumbent sliding’. The owner was distressed with seeing them like this with negligible improvement. I considered diazepam with or without mannitol (tho figured cerebral oedema was unlikely based on history and only gradual reduction in hypernatremia...???), but owner requested euthanasia without post mortem.

I’d be really interested in hearing of any other similar cases as I’ve bever seen/heard of anything like this (and hate not knowing what it was!!!!).

Thanks very much to everyone for chipping in with ideas, was massively appreciated and it really helped (especially in the wee small hours of the night) to know i wasn’t completely alone with it!!

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Sheryl Calway — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 00:12:30 GMT

Well...an alternative career in clairvoyancy beckons...on questioning you predicted the answer exactly...NEVER, repeat, NEVER could have had access!!

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Marie Kubiak — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 13:36:12 GMT

What happened with these ferrets?

Marie

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Niall Taylor — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 09:05:24 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]Does sound very much like some sort of sedative[/quote]

One of my initial thoughts was marijuana intoxication (hey, I'm from Glastonbury, it's how we think down here!) but that wouldn't account for the chronic weight loss. In every case of marijuana intoxication we've seen the animal has NEVER, repeat, NEVER, has access... 'oh but there was that little package he 'found under a hedge while out in the fields'...

Bit of a long shot to be fair though, the effects should be wearing off by now.

Niall

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 06:50:24 GMT

How weird. Does sound very much like some sort of sedative? Maybe just supportive care and wait and see....

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Sheryl Calway — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 06:47:32 GMT

Mine has be an all-nighter of a job too...who needs sleep, hey..??..!!

absolutely no response to anything...both still flat out as if heavily sedated, intermittent twitching, reactive to inj but little else.

have had fluid and glucose iv thro night, dex, duphalyte and synulox...both too flat for anything orally.

mannitol????

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 05:29:07 GMT

Sorry...very long day at work (including a bearded dragon ovariectomy due to follicular stasis ... they always tire me out) and so an early night!

I'd just inject IV to effect with hypoglycaemic ferrets ( the response can be dramatic...they run off the needle!) but would need to look up the actual dose.

How did they do?

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Sheryl Calway — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 21:51:04 GMT

That’s a possibility...thanks Gillian...how much glucose would you give?

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 21:30:27 GMT

[quote user="Sheryl Calway"]glucose levels between 4 and 5 on multiple samples[/quote]

That's still pretty low tbh. You've said the weight loss is chronic...any chance the ferrets were accidentally starved today, on top of them having insulinomas ? Insulinoma so common, poss could explain them both getting symptomatic at the same time?

Anyway, I'd also give some corticosteroid and encourage feeding...if unable, then IV glucose.

Odd!!

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Marie Kubiak — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 21:23:34 GMT

Sorry, nothing ferrety that would affect two concurrently coming to mind. Systemic coronavirus I've seen in two ferrets from one household but as separate cases months apart.

Any real likelihood of water deprivation/salt excess from recent care? If fed on raw meat what about contamination by barbiturates/other sedatives?

If nothing else ferrets are very resilient to side effects of dex so if no change might be worth trying as a last ditch??

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Sheryl Calway — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 21:06:13 GMT

On haematology, pcv normal, total wbc normal but neut 80% and low lymphocytes

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Sheryl Calway — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 21:04:20 GMT

thanks both of you for replying. Neutered females, glucose levels between 4 and 5 on multiple samples, no xylitol or other toxic access. no signs of dehydration. Anything I could try? Fluids and metronidazole/synulox/duphalyte as not responsive enough for anything else I have available as an injection that I thought might be if benefit..? Thanks

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Marie Kubiak — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 20:32:25 GMT

FIP a possibility but 2 concurrently would be unusual.

What's glucose level? Xylitol access?

Given high sodium the priority is to differentiate fluid lossfrom sodium excess- do they appear clinically dehydrated?

Was haematology done too?

Marie

RE: URGENT FERRET HELP PLEASE

Niall Taylor — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 20:29:14 GMT

[quote user="Sheryl Calway"]2 x 8year old female siblings[/quote]

Neutered or entire?

Blood glucose levels?

Niall