From:
hippyholocaust@fuse.net
Date: 2005-10-18 16:27:02 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Enlarged Spleen-Melatonin Treatment -Any help appreciated!!!
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Hi everyone, I'm hoping I can get a little insight into my Eddie's problem. He's been to three different vets and finally one was able to give me a very vague explaination for what's happening to him. I'll give you the entire history of this story.
The story starts in June. I took Eddie (a 2 year old 'healthy' male), to my usual veterinarian, who is usually very thorough and precise when treating my pets (three ferrets and a dog). Eddie had been having a waxy buildup on his head, top of his neck, and face. This is NOT coming from his ears, which are kept clean weekly. Its a secretion from his skin. The buildup has been going on since January, but I was told back then that this was not a big deal and it should pass. The discharge started to get a more and more foul odor as time went on and eventually, Eddie's hair started to thin out in this area only. Under his eyes you can see his skin. The skin in this area is also orangish colored. His weight has been on a steady decline since last December (December his weight was 3.5lbs, January it was 3.2lbs, in June it was 2.8lbs, and this week it's 2.7lbs). In June my vet gave Eddie a complete wellness exam and blood work up. Every thing came back normal and he said that Eddie suffers from "alopecia" and is nothing to worry about.
Three weeks ago, Eddie's condition has still not gotten better and his weight still seems to be decreasing. I took Eddie to an "exotics specialist" who diagnosed him with moist dermatitis, or, hot spots. He also said that the culprit of the weight loss would be worms, and he gave me a deworming medication to give him for three days in row. He also gave me a medicated shampoo (Melasab) and told me to bathe him once a week for three weeks and the hair should be coming back in healthy and the discharge should cease. Since this guy was a specialist, I believed him. He said that if the medicated shampoo doesn't work, he would need an ultrasound and blood panel to see if he has Adrenal Disease. It was three weeks ago yesterday and I had not seen even the slightest improvement, so I broke down and took Eddie back to my usual veterinary practice.
This time, Eddie saw a different vet who is not a specialist in exotics or ferrets at all, but he did treat my female ferret when she was a kit and everyone told me to "trade her in". He was able to restore her health completely, but I digress. He was able to detect through a wellness exam that Eddie does in fact have an enlarged spleen that is about twice the normal size. He was disgusted that the supposed specialist was not able to pick up on this as its fairly obvious. He mentioned that the spleen and adrenal glands all feel smooth, no lumps or bumps, and that he really doesnt think that Eddie is at risk for cancer or any sort of tumor growth. He did a CBC on him yesterday and called today to confirm that his blood cell counts were completely healthy and normal. He suggested that Eddie be put on 1mg of Melatonin daily, dosage given between 7-9 hours after sunrise. He thinks that this will bring about his much needed weight gain and help him to regrow his hair. I asked him about adrenal disease or cushings disease and he said that Eddie does not have most of the symptoms of adrenal disease, and the ones he does have dont match up to typical adrenal symptoms. While he didnt dismiss it, he said that it could just be too early in the disease to tell, and that he might very well have adrenal disease. Ive called everywhere looking for this liquid melatonin and I finally found a place thats about a half hour away from my house. Were going to try that out for a while, and if it helps the symptoms, we might consider the melatonin implant.
He also noted that he feels that any growth of the spleen thats going on is being caused by BENIGN FACTORS and that I dont really have that much to worry about because Eddie will likely live a long and happy life, so long as he's being treated for the symptoms, and that's ok with me. I'd rather him be completely healthy, of course. I'm not willing to take risks with Eddie. I will absolutely not do anything for him that may be hazardous to his health.
If any veterinary professionals could maybe give me some insight as to what Eddie's experiencing, it would be much appreciated. I should also note that his activity levels are the same as they've always been, and he's eating and drinking normally with normal stools.. If anyone has experience with enlarged spleens, and what causes them, please share them with me. My head is kind of scattered right now trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with my little guy.
Thanks everyone!
Laura
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