Splenomegaly is another name for enlarged spleen. It is a very common disease among ferrets. Fortunately, many ferrets live quite a normal life with it. If your ferret is dealing with an enlarged spleen, here is all the information you need, as well as some treatment options.
What Is A Spleen?
Well, the spleen is an organ inside the body that works with the immune system. Its function is to gather all the old and dirty blood cells, infections, and bacteria inside the body in one place and demolish them. Its role is actually very important because it helps in cleaning the inside of a body.
Another important function of a spleen is storing healthy blood cells so that in the case of an emergency, where excessive blood is draining out of the body, it can use those blood cells to keep the body safe.
What Causes An Enlarged Spleen In A Ferret
The enlarged spleen is also known as splenomegaly is usually caused through different things, such as:
- Different sorts of infection within the body
- Idiopathic splenomegaly (enlarged spleen with unknown reason)
- Chronic illness
- Cardiomyopathy
- Insulinoma (a tumor in the pancreas)
- Cancer
- Inflammation
- Hypersplenism (overactive spleen)
These are the major causes of an enlarged spleen in a ferret. This disease often attacks ferrets that are 3 years of age or older.
Doctors are still looking for a valid cause of an enlarged spleen since there isn’t any one cause behind it. It is often linked with several other diseases but one of the most common causes is said to be a rapid increase in the development of blood cells.
If the enlarged spleen is caused by many other factors, it can be hard to choose a certain treatment. Similarly, without knowing a specific reason for this disease, it can become challenging to select a single effective treatment plan.
Symptoms Of Enlarged Spleen In A Ferret
An enlarged spleen is quite painful for a ferret particularly if it moves around or if someone touches it. When that happens the ferret tries to bite your hand or show irritation.
If the spleen is expanding due to an infection inside the body then it will come with the symptoms of high fever, which can be deadly if it goes untreated.
Here are the few other symptoms that ferrets with an enlarged spleen usually show:
- Anorexia (eating disorder)
- Lethargy (lack of energy)
- Abdominal swelling
Ferrets usually don’t show signs of illness so you will have to notice these changes on your own. Sometimes all these symptoms go unnoticed too.
Diagnosis Of Enlarged Spleen In A Ferret
First, make sure you take your pet to a good veterinarian. The vet will first perform a physical test on your pet. Once he/she completes all the medicals tests, it is easy to know which treatment works best.
The vet can also ask you to bring in all the medical history records of your pet so they can know all the things that are associate with the diseases.
They will start doing different tests and samples like physical examination, urine test, blood test, x-rays, and ultrasounds. This helps them gather results about everything that is going in the pet’s body. However, ultrasounds have been known to be most useful during the diagnosis of an enlarged spleen. They clear all the misconceptions and guide the vets in the right way.
Apart from that, a blood cell count is an extremely important part of the diagnosis too as it is linked to the functions of a spleen. It reveals why the spleen is enlarged.
In some cases, an x-ray of the ferret’s body will help the vet clearly see the enlarged spleen and read how much it has expanded.
Treatment Of Enlarged Spleen In A Ferret
As mentioned above, the real cause of an enlarged spleen in a ferret has not been identified yet. That makes it hard to find the right treatment because many times the cause is not the same so the treatment of the disease can’t be the same either; it keeps on changing.
Mostly, the vets notice the change in blood cells and high fever to be the most common symptom of an enlarged spleen. They believe that an infection might be the main cause of it.
To treat the infection and the enlarged spleen, they count on ‘Splenectomy‘. It is the surgical removal of an enlarged spleen. Vets usually opt for it when Hypersplenism, Cancer, or any either major disease is present in the body.
Bear in mind, Splenectomy is only done in extreme cases, so if the ferret is responding to antibiotics then doing Splenectomy is not needed.
If the ferret’s body is working well using other treatments that involve antibiotics then the vet uses simple procedures to treat the enlarged spleen. They use a slow process that counts on medicines but surely helps your ferret get rid of the unexplainable pain.
If the cause of the condition is still unknown then the only thing a vet can do is to count on his medicine; he doesn’t go for any kind of surgery as surgery based on an unknown cause can be dangerous.
Aftercare For Ferrets That Went Through Surgery
After going through surgery, the pet will need rest and proper care from its owner.
At first, the hospital will keep the ferret with them for a few days to ensure there are no side effects of the surgery. Once the ferret is allowed to return home, make sure they have a comfortable and quiet space prepared for them.
Give them a proper resting time but keep checking up on them from time to time.
Notice their behavior and see if they are whining or seem in any pain. Also, check the ferret’s stitches from the surgery; if the stitches are opened or bleeding then take your ferret to the vet right away to get them sewed back.
It is best if your ferret wears a collar so they don’t lick or bite themselves on the stitches which can result in the opening of the wound. Check-in with your vet constantly in the first few weeks, until you are sure the enlarged spleen problem has been taken care of completely.