Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ferret with head tilt and balance loss from brain tumor
By van Zeeland, Yvonne et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2009·Utrecht University, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Vestibular syndrome due to a choroid plexus papilloma in a ferret.
- Species:
- rodent
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old male ferret was brought in because he had a noticeable head tilt to the right and was having trouble walking. The vet found that he had weakness and poor coordination on the right side of his body. Tests ruled out low blood sugar as a cause, and imaging showed a mass in his brain. Unfortunately, treatment with steroids didn't help, and after he passed away, it was determined that he had a rare brain tumor called a choroid plexus papilloma.
People also search for: ferret head tilt · ferret ataxia treatment · ferret brain tumor symptoms
Abstract
A 6-year-old, castrated male ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was presented with progressive neurological signs consisting of a right-sided head tilt and ataxia. Neurological examination revealed hemiparesis and absence of proprioception on the right side, consistent with central vestibular syndrome. Measurement of blood glucose excluded hypoglycemia due to insulinoma. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed the presence of an intracranial mass, consistent with either granuloma or neoplasia. Palliative treatment with prednisolone yielded no improvement. At postmortem examination, a final diagnosis of a choroid plexus papilloma originating from the fourth ventricle was made. This is the first report of such a tumor in a ferret.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19258423/