Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diagnosing and treating a congenital liver shunt in a ferret
By J. Visser et al.·Published in Journal of Small Animal Practice·2023·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Diagnosis and treatment of a congenital portosystemic shunt in a ferret (Mustela putorius furo).
- Species:
- rodent
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old female ferret was brought to the vet because she was losing weight. After tests showed high levels of bile acids and ammonia, the vet diagnosed her with a congenital portosystemic shunt, a condition where blood bypasses the liver. The vet performed surgery to close the shunt, but unfortunately, her health did not improve afterward. Four months later, her condition worsened, and her owner chose to euthanize her.
People also search for: ferret weight loss · portosystemic shunt in ferrets · ferret surgery recovery · ammonia levels in ferrets
Abstract
A 3-year-old female neutered ferret presented with progressive weight loss was diagnosed with portosystemic shunting based on increased fasting bile acids, rectal ammonia tolerance testing and advanced imaging. Ammonia reference values were determined in 16 healthy ferrets. A congenital extrahepatic spleno-caval shunt was visualised with ultrasonography and CT angiography of the abdomen. Complete surgical shunt closure by suture ligation was performed, without clinical improvement after surgery. Euthanasia was elected 4 months postoperatively because the clinical condition deteriorated. This is a case report of advanced diagnostics and surgical treatment of a congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt in a ferret, demonstrating rectal ammonia tolerance testing and imaging as feasible techniques for the diagnosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/37560781