Ferret Medicine Flashcards
What are key points of ferret medicine?
- Mustelids
- Hypercarnivore diet
- Femlaes (jills) = induced ovulators
- Sexual dimorphism (males>females)
- high incidence of endocrine problems
- Sensitive to several viral infections
- Lifespan 6-8yr
What is distemper? Transmission?
- Morbillivirus
- Almost always fatal in ferrets
- Transmission - aerosols, direct contact with urine, faeces, skin, other secretion
- Unvaccinated ferrets
CS of distemper?
- Non-specific – lethargy, anorexia, fever
- Cutaneous – erythema, hyperkeratosis and crusts (foot pads, face)
- Respiratory – dyspnea, tachypnoea, cough. Complicated with 2ary bacterial infections
- Ocular – muco-purulent conjunctivitis
- Neurological – paresis, ataxia, seizures
How is distemper Diagnosed? Tx?
- Dx = unvaccinated ferrets, combination of signs, swab for PCR Ag detection, PM + histo
- Tx = Euthanasia
-Supportive care (NSAIDs, Ab)
How can you prevent distemper?
- Vaccinate - start at 12 wks, yearly booster
-can get vaccine reactions - Hygiene, routine cleaning
- Avoid contact with unvaccinated ferrets / dogs
What is a differential for distemper that owners are most common source of infection?
- Influenza
How is influenza diagnosed?
- CS = Fever, URT signs, Conjunctivitis, Occasionally affects other organs
- Exposure to human with flu
- Ag detection
How is influenza managed?
- Self-limiting (5-7)
- General supportive care (fluids, feeding)
- NSAIDs - meloxicam
- Antivirals
What is Aleutian disease? Transmission? Signs?
- Parvovirus
- Immunocomplex-mediated disease
- Older ferrets (+minks)
- Transmission by aerosol, direct contact with any body fluids
- CS = death without any signs, chronic wasting disease, Neuro signs (tremors, ataxia, paresis, seizures), Other (organ enlargement, anaemia, melena, dyspnoea)
How is aleutian disease diagnosed? Tx?
- Dx =
-plasma electrophoresis (low albumin / high gamma-globulin)
-Haematology - low PCV
-Biochem - depends on affected organ
-PCR
-Positive serum antibody titers - Tx = Supportive care
-No Tx
What tumours affect ferrets ?
- Lymphoma (T / B- cell, cutaneous epitheliotrophic, gastric lymphomas) - signs depend of organ affected
- insulinoma - pancreatic B-cells, benign
How would you diagnose lymphoma in ferrets?
- Haematology - Anaemia, Leukaemias are NOT a consistent finding
- Biochemistry - Hypoalbuminemia + Hyperproteinemia + Hyperglobulinemia, Hypercalcemia uncommon
- Ultrasound
- Cytology – can be almost fully diagnostic for lymphoma
- Biopsy samples – allow grading and phenotyping
How can you treat lymphoma in ferrets?
- Chemotherapy - prenisolone - COP/CHOP
- Radiation therapy
What are clinical signs of insulinoma?
- Hypoglycaemia
- Nausea / ptyalism
- Lethargy / weakness
- Ataxia
- Seizures
- Resolve after being offered food
How is insulinoma diagnosed?
- Blood glucose <3.3 mmol/L after 4h starving
- Plasma insulin concentration
- Abdominal ultrasound
- Advanced imaging
How is insulinoma treated?
- Nodulectomy
- Partial pancreaectomy
- Average survival time 1yr
- New masses tend to appear
Medical management =
* Acute / emergeny - IV bolus dextrose, fluids, midazolam
* chronic - prednisolone, diazoxide
What is adrenal gland disease that ferrets get? What are the causes?
- Hyperadrenocorticism =
-hyperaldosteronism (mineralocorticoids)
-hyperadrenocorticism (endogenous steroids)
-Hyperandrogenism (androgens = androstenedione, estradiol) - Causes =
-Surgical neuter (remove negative feedback)
-Abnormal photoperiod / circadian rhythms
-Genetics
What are clinical signs of adrenal disease in ferrets?
- Progressive symmetrical alopecia (usually starts at tail)
- Pruritus (1/3 cases)
- Spayed females – vulvar enlargement
- Males =
-sexual behaviuor + typical odour
-Urinary blockage (prostate enlargement)
How is adrenal disease diagnosed?
- Abdominal ultrasound - adrenal gland enlargement + other organs (prostate)
- serum / plasma hormones - estradiol
What is treatment of adrenal disease? Risks?
- Adrenalectomy - L adrenal = easy
-R adrenal = close to caudal V. cava + liver - Delorelin implants (GnRH-agonists)
- Risks =
-Anaesthesia complications
-bleeding
-Addison’s
-
What are signs of gastritis? what tests should be done?
- CS / Hx = vomiting, anorexia, lethargy, melena (GI ulceration)
- Approach =
1. Complete Hx
2. Full exam
3. Supportive care
4. Imaging + bloods
5. Further tests = GIT biopsies, culture + specificity
What can cause gastritis in ferrets?
- Foreign bodies
- Toxin ingestion
- NSAID treatment
- Helicobacter mustelae infections
- Neoplasia (incl. extra GIT) - lymphoma
- Azotemia/renal disease
- Other diseases can also cause nausea
What is supportive care of gastritis?
- Fluids
- Anti-emetics (maropitant, ranitidine)
- Feeding (frequent, small meals, high protein)
What is Helicobacter mustelae?
- Causes chronic gastritis + mucosal ulceration
- Can progress to gastric adenocarcinoma / lymphoma
- leads to = melena, severe anaemia + shock
- Dx = gastric wall biopsies +/- PCR
How can you manage helicobacter mustelae infection?
- Ab = amoxicillin + metronidazole
- Bismuth citrate
- Sucralfate
- Famotidine
- Omeprazole
What are common causes for diarrhoea in ferrets?
- Bacterial infection = salmonella + campylobacter
- Viral = ferret coronavirus (adults), Rotavirus (kits), distemper + flu
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Neoplasia
What is seen with ferret coronavirus?
- ADULTS
- Enteric form = epizootic catarrhal enteritis
-green profuse diarrhoea, (chronic) Tx = Tylosin - Systemic form = similar to FIP (dry form)
-progressive pyogranulomatous inflammation, weight loss, abdominal masses, diarrhoea
-NO Tx
What is seen with rotavirus?
- Affects young
- High morbidity + mortality
- Outbreaks
- Confirm w PCR
- Supportive care
What is IBD? Dx? Tx?
- Lymphoplasmocytic infiltration of intestinal wall
- Dx = abdominal US (increased thickness) Intestinal wall biopsies
- Tx = diet, prednisolone, azathioprine
What causes proliferative bowel disease? what does it effect? Dx? Tx?
- Lawsonia intracellularis
- Affects young ferrets + colon
- Dx = intestinal wall biopsies (histology +/- PCR)
- Tx = chloramphenicol
What are signs seen in ferrets with cardiac disease?
◦ Lethargy, exercise intolerance, weight loss
◦ Coughing, dyspnea
◦ Ascites, organ enlargement
◦ Heart murmur, muffled heart sounds, arrhythmias
◦ Hind limb weakness (not related to thromboembolism)
◦ Pulse deficits
◦ Hypothermia
what is Tx of acute / emergency heart problems?
- Supply O2
- Sedation
- Furosemide
- If effusion - consider
What should be done if approaching chronic / progressive heart problems?
- Full bloods +/- urinalysis
- Radiography
- Heart scan
- ECG
- Heartworm testing
- Cardiac troponin
What are the main heart disease problems?
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- Valvular heart disease – most common aortic valve regurgitation
- Myocarditis
- Neoplasia
- Heartworm (only in endemic areas)
What can be used to treat heart disease?
- Reach a diagnosis
- Furosemide
- ACE-inhibitors
- Pimobendan
