ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pregnancy toxemia may lead to appreciable mortality among jills and their offspring. The objective of this report was to increase awareness of the disease, its likely cause, and practical prevention and treatment measures. METHODS: Ten cases of pregnancy toxemia were evaluated. Jills were in late gestation (mean, 38 days; range, 34 to 42 days) and had large litters (mean, 11.5 kits; range, 7 to 15 kits). RESULTS: The most common clinical signs of disease were lethargy, inappetence, dehydration, and excess shedding. Hematologic and clinical biochemical abnormalities included anemia (4 of 8 jills tested), hypoproteinemia (5 of 7), azotemia (7 of 7), hypocalcemia (5 of 6), hyperbilirubinemia (3 of 3), and high liver enzyme activities (6 of 6). Two jills were found dead; two jills were euthanized, six received supportive treatment, and cesarean section was performed on five. The three jills that survived tended to have less pronounced azotemia, hypoproteinemia, and liver enzyme activity increases and were not anemic. Hepatic lipidosis was observed grossly in all jills that died and was confirmed by histologic examination in four jills. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy toxemia in ferrets resembles metabolic diseases in several other animal species and requires aggressive treatment, including supportive care, nutritional supplementation, and cesarean section. Maintaining adequate nutrition and avoiding stress late in gestation may prevent the disease.
Subject(s)
Ferrets , Pre-Eclampsia/veterinary , Anemia/veterinary , Animals , Bilirubin/urine , Blood Proteins/deficiency , Dehydration/veterinary , Feeding and Eating Disorders/veterinary , Female , Hypocalcemia/veterinary , Ketones/urine , Lipids/analysis , Liver/chemistry , Liver/enzymology , Liver/pathology , Pre-Eclampsia/diagnosis , Pre-Eclampsia/pathology , Pregnancy , Sleep Stages , Uremia/veterinaryABSTRACT
Three cases of juvenile mediastinal lymphoma developed in a laboratory colony of ferrets. Two ferrets became acutely moribund, and one was found dead with no preceding signs of illness. Splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and a large thoracic mass were the primary features in each case. All three ferrets had multiorgan metastasis of the tumor. Two ferrets were tested for feline leukemia virus and Aleutian disease virus with negative results.
