Ferrets - from pink book

Question 1

When do permanent teeth erupt in ferrets?

Answer 1

between 7-11 weeks (50-74 days)

Question 2

What is the adult dental formula of ferrets?

Answer 2

34 teeth (16 up, 18 down): I 33, C11, P33, M12

Question 3

How many pairs of salivary glands to ferrets have and what are they called

Answer 3

5 pairs; parotid, mandib, sublingual, molar, zygomatic

Question 4

What type of muscle is the esophagus

Answer 4

all striated; no gastroesophageal sphincter (?)

Question 5

GI transit time of ferrets?

Answer 5

3-4 hours

Question 6

what are the parts of the ferret small intestine?

Answer 6

Duodenum has 3 short sections:
shorter sigmoid cranial
descending then hairpin turn to ascending
then a “jejunoileum”
no distinct ICJ, and no cecum or ileocecal valve, no appendix

Question 7

how does the jejunoileal mucosa look different than the colonic mucosa and why does this matter?

Answer 7

there’s no ICJ (just the arterial overlap region) so they’re a little hard to tell apart in surgery. The JI mucosa is flat, the colonic mucosa is in longitudinal folds

Question 8

where do ferret anal glands sit and what are they

Answer 8

about like dog ones, 8 & 4 o’clock. usually removed at time of spneuter. each has a muscular sphincter. most scent is from the sebaceous glands but they are removed by Marshall Farms regardless. can’t spray like a skunk

Question 9

what is the most common ferret endoparasite?

Answer 9

Coccidiosis (isospora spp). oocysts mostly shed between 6-16 wks old.

Question 10

symptoms of isospora in ferrets?

Answer 10

ranges from subclinical to hematochezia, mild to severe illness. most likely to arise at store age (6-16 wks old)

Question 11

how is isospora usually treated in ferrets?

Answer 11

2+ wk course of coccidiostats + supportive care

Question 12

what species of giardia do ferrets get?

Answer 12

not super common but occas Giardia duodenalis. test & tx like dog

Question 13

acid fast testing in a ferret fecal….why?

Answer 13

cryptosporidium parvum is a rare but possible parasite. not zoonotic (or low risk). often subclinical unless immunocompromsed. can see oocysts in fresh stool with acid-fast. OR do PCR

Question 14

Ferret salivary mucoceles, fun facts: go

Answer 14

secondary to trauma?
aka “adenitis”
can form salivary “microliths” (Ow)
can cause swelling in weird places on the head, ferrets have a lot of salivary glands

Question 15

How are mucoceles best treated?

Answer 15

excision. medical management usually leads to recurrence.

Question 16

Possible causes of oral ulceration?

Answer 16

vomiting (on own or from hypoglycemia)
gastric reflux
gastric ulcers, helicobacter etc
can form oronasal fistulas if advanced

Question 17

how would you treat megaesophagus in a ferret?

Answer 17

basically supportive for the ulcers etc. metoclopramide & cisapride do not work. unknown etiology so no definitive tx

Question 18

what does DIM stand for and what is it?

Answer 18

Disseminated Idiopathic Myofasciitis - causes many systemic signs, has its own section, but because the esophagus is striated muscle, that suppurative/pyogranulomatous inflammation hits the esophagus too

Question 19

Underlying causes for stomach ulcers?

Answer 19

SUPER COMMON IN FERRETS
toxins
Helicobacter mustelae
Neoplasia
NSAIDs (but not steroids usually)
Azotemia

Question 20

common clinical signs of stomach ulcers in ferrets?

Answer 20

not usually vomiting. More often cough or gag.
also melena, anorexia, lethargy, weight loss
hypersalivation, bruxism

Question 21

How to work up poss ulcers?

Answer 21

Fast for 4-6h, then take whole body rads (primarily to r/o foreign body)
helicobacter is often a diagnosis of exclusion
bloodwork etc but if has compatible signs & rads are normal likely stomach ulcers
check for subclinical insulinomas!!

Question 22

treatment for stomach ulcers

Answer 22

pay close attention to melena, can be life-threatening

cerenia, reglan, zofran, pepto, sucralfate

Question 23

helicobacter is opportunistic: t/f

Answer 23

yes/no. all ferrets in US are exposed @ weaning. flares up when stressed or ill, esp in older ferrets

Question 24

what part of the stomach is helicobacter usually in?

Answer 24

antrum of the stomach, and pyloric area of duodenum

Question 25

besides bleeding etc, what diseases can helicobacter predispose ferrets to?

Answer 25

MALT-associated lymphoma, possibly gastric adenocarcinoma

Question 26

how do you diagnose Helicobacter?

Answer 26

history and clinical signs;
can be confirmed with a biopsy (use silver stain)
can also send gastric mucosa or fecal samples for PCR

Question 27

for treating helicobacter, besides general therapy for ulcers, what should you do?

Answer 27

“Triple therapy” - Bismuth salicylate, Amoxi & metro
OR
“Double therapy” Clarithromycin + omeprazole
OR
Enrofloxacin + “colloidal bismuth subcitrate”
Treat for 21+ days!!

Question 28

fun notes re: FB ferrets

Answer 28

• vomiting less common
• make sure rads include esophagus
• collect biopsies during surgery of older ferrets
• look @ adrenals & panc during sx of older ferrets

Question 29

Gastric distension in ferrets will present how

Answer 29

big stomach, shocky ferret

Question 30

Gastric distension in ferrets can be secondary to:

Answer 30

1) FB (duh)
2) pyloric stenosis from neoplasia
3) muscular hypertrophy of the pylorus (?)

Question 31

How do you class ferret diarrhea into SB vs LB

Answer 31

psych, you don’t

just ask re: onset, duration, severity, color

Question 32

How would you treat rectal prolapse in a ferret?

Answer 32

kaopectate
loperamide
metronidazole
Prep H
very rare to need the purse string (also, they suck)

Question 33

What are some general forms of ferret lymphoma?

Answer 33

Rare: pure intestinal (in the MALT)
Common: Visceral
Also common: peripheral+/-visceral

Question 34

which lymph nodes should be biopsied to help determine IBD vs lymphoma?

Answer 34

NOT THE ABDOMINAL LN - will look the same

basically any other LN that seems a bit enlarged?

Question 35

common findings with visceral lymphoma?

Answer 35

abdominal lymphadenopathy
Peritoneal effusion
splenomegaly

Question 36

What do splenic aspirates usually show in lymphoma OR IBD ferrets?

Answer 36

EMH secondary to the chronic GI inflammation

splenic lymphoma is also a thing

Question 37

grading of lymphoma in ferrets?

Answer 37

it’s a bit of an emerging art
of the aggressive ones - B cell a bit better, but still only 9 mo with chemo
there is an indolent/small cell lymphoma that’s like in cats

Question 38

treatment of lymphoma?

Answer 38

lots of options - full body radiation
injectable chemo
oral-only protocol
make sure good plane of nutrition