Inflammatory bowel disease is a condition resulting in chronic inflammation of the GI tract, typically involving the stomach and small intestine. Age of onset is usually ferrets older than 1 year of age. Possible inciting causes include food hypersensitivity, carbohydrate overload, bacterial overgrowth, gastrointestinal foreign body, or bacterial or viral infection.
Patients may be asymptomatic or present with any of the following: poor musculature, weight loss, and sporadic diarrhea and/or vomiting. Acute diarrhea (often green) can occur with secondary bacterial overgrowth or bacterial enteritis. If gastric ulceration develops you may see black feces, nausea, tooth grinding, and loss of appetite. In rare cases, the liver may be involved resulting in acute suppurative hepatitis producing fever, high white blood cell counts, occasionally jaundice, and severe lethargy.
Conditions with similar symptoms include eosinophilic granulomatous disease (a multiorgan disease involving white blood cell infiltrates and granulomas of multiple tissues), lymphoma, ferret enteric coronavirus (a.k.a. Epizootic catarrhal enteritis or green slime disease), and dietary indiscretion.
A complete blood count and serum biochemistry panel will be recommended to evaluate white blood cell numbers and ratios, look for liver involvement, and rule out other causes. Abdominal ultrasound may reveal thickened intestinal walls as well. Definitive diagnosis is with surgical intestinal biopsy.
Your vet may presumptively choose antibiotic treatment for Helicobacter especially if not undergoing biopsy or if presenting with suspected bacterial enteritis. Nutritional support should be provided if not eating on their own. If IBD is confirmed, treatment is with immunosuppressive medications such as steroids, Azathioprine or cyclosporin. Medications for nausea may also be prescribed. Dietary management is recommended for long term with either a hydrolyzed diet (i.e. Hills Z/D feline) or grain-free diets free of legumes such as Wysong, Totally ferret or Zupreem, or Mazuri.
Overall prognosis depends on the severity of the disease at the time of diagnosis Often caught late in the course of the disease, the prognosis is guarded.
A complete blood count should be rechecked in 3-4 weeks after starting immunosuppressive medications and then monitored every 2-3 months. A serum biochemistry should be rechecked in 3-4 weeks and also rechecked every 2-3 months to monitor blood protein levels and liver enzymes.
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