TDK conference 2016

Ferrets are popular pets among Hungarian pet owners because of their small size and playful behaviour. Anatomical characteristics of the ferret gastrointestinal tract are a simple stomach and a short intestinal tract. There is no separate duodenum and ileum, the caecum is absent. The peristalsis is fast, the passage time is short, and the secretion activity is high. As a consequence, gastrointestinal disorders are common in pet ferrets. Vomitus and diarrhea are the most proper clinical signs, but several nonspecific symptoms can be observed during these diseases. The diagnosis of chronic gastrointestinal problems is challenging, beyond history and detailed physical examination, diagnostic imaging and laboratory methods are usually required. According to the literature, common chronic gastrointestinal pathology are inflammatory bowel disease, eosinophil cell gastroenteritis, Helicobacter mustelae gastritis and ulceration, the latter infection affecting nearly 100% of the patients. Lymphoproliferative diseases including gastrointestinal (MALT) lymphoma are also common in ferrets and can be a consequence of a chronic inflammatory process. Histopathology is the only diagnostic tool to get exact information about the type and severity of the inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate for chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases in ferret patients of the clinic of University of Veterinary Medicine. In the dog and the cat, common haematology findings are anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutrophilia and eosinophilia during chronic gastroenteritis. Hypoalbuminaemia, hyperglobulinaemia, and the elevation of serum lipase are typical biochemistry alterations. Our other aim was to find a correlation between histopathology, haematology and biochemistry findings in those cases where blood results were also available. During this study, gastric and intestinal bioptic samples were evaluated from 22 ferrets. The samples were taken during diagnostic laparotomy, gastroscopy, or autopsy. The samples were routinely stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Several chronic inflammatory processes, like lymphocytic infiltration, eosinophil cell infiltration, erosions, ulcerations and histopathological changes, typical for lymphoma were found. Warthin-Starry staining was used to prove Helicobacter mustelae infection. The analysis of blood samples has shown that anaemia and hyperglobulinaemia are typical findings during gastrointestinal disorders of ferrets as well.