Ferret Health: Hepatic lipidosis

Hepatic lipidosis

Good afternoon friends!

Today I decided to write little about an interesting topic that has been popping up a lot lately.

I've actually been researching this topic for a while and gathered a little information on it. I think this is essential that every ferret owner is aware of this issue so we can avoid it from ever happening to our lovely ferrets! Let's begin! 

Just like our feline friends, ferrets too can get this disease. It is known as Hepatic lipidosis, A.K.A  fatty liver, and is one of the most common liver diseases our ferrets could get. Hepatic lipidosis can get out of hand and cause damage in very little time, so understanding  this disease can help us to prevent it as best we can from ever happening to our little fuzzy companions, as well as help treat it.

What exactly is Hepatic lipidosis?

Hepatic Lipidosis is a common problem among many species of animals and even humans. It is more commonly known as Fatty Liver Disease. In ferrets (and cats), there is officially no known cause, hence why is most often left undiagnosed. Most ferrets are either obese or have experienced a sudden weight loss, or enforced fasting which then results in excessive mobilisation of fat stores, this then results in liberation of nonesterified fatty acids, which accumulate in the liver and result in hepatomegaly and hepatitis. 

Why It Is Serious

The liver on the top of the picture to

the left shows severe hepatic lipidosis. 

This liver may float in water! The liver 

on the bottom is normal in colour.

If Hepatic lipidosis is left untreated or undiagnosed, can become life threatening due to the fast digestive tract of the ferret. There is a high mortality rate associated with this condition, but if caught and diagnosed in early stages then the ferret has a better chance of recovery. If the ferret is left without food for too long, the chances of Hepatic lipidosis is more likely to occur due to sudden fasting. Affected ferrets are debilitated and may suffer from malnutrition, hepatic lipidosis, and aspiration pneumonia.If not detected early, there is high chances of the ferret dying from either malnutrition or complications from liver failure. 

Remember they have a fast digestive tract of roughly 3-4 hours. Left without food for a lengthy time can be risky especially for ferrets who have other diagnosed diseases. For the sake of the ferret's overall health, please always ensure that they have food readily available or within the 3-4 hour timeframe.  Left without food for prolonged periods is very dangerous, very unhealthy and not good practice so please always ensure your ferret has food available. Ferret's especially those with other health conditions such as insulinoma may crash, have a seizure and die in very little time from being left without food for prolonged period.

How Does It Occur?

There is always an underlying cause and various risks or reasons as to why a ferret would get Hepatic lipidosis. Half of the cases are called 'idiopathic,' meaning we do not know what has caused the condition, although almost all cases are associated with obesity or enforced fasting. Hepatic lipidosis can be found in association with long-term anorexia / severely underweight ferrets. Chronic GI diseases (e.g., trichobezoar formation) can lead to

hepatic lipidosis. Foreign bodies in the proximal duodenum can obstruct the bile ducts as they enter the small intestine and cause increased liver enzyme and bilirubin levels. 

Some risks that may result or increase chances of hepatic lipidosis are: 

• Endocrine or Metabolic Diseases,
• Cancers, 
• Hypoxia, Hepatotoxins, 
• Pregnancy Toxemia, 
• Diabetes, 
• Adrenocortical Adenocarcinoma, 
• Insulinoma,  
• Anorexia, 
• Obesity, 
• Kidney Disease, 
• Other Diseases, 
• Loss of Appetite, 
• Stress,
• Enforced Fasting,
• Etc.

Fasting And It's Inpact On The Liver

When a ferret goes into fasting, It's body forces the liver to convert body fat into usable energy. If this process continues for too long, fat builds up in the cells of the liver, and the disease has officially onset. Prognosis varies depending on the stage of the disease, with both a high recovery and mortality rate at different stages. The disease is may be reversible through intense feeding and there are higher chances of survival if caught in the early stages. 

Here is a good example.

This is Hepatomegaly in a cat. 

Enlarged, yellow and friable 

liver from a cat that died from 

hepatic lipidosis.

The liver's main functions include protein synthesis, the production of chemicals necessary for digestion, and the detoxification of the body. 

The liver also plays an important role in metabolism, the emulsification of fats, the production of coagulation factors (necessary for blood clotting), and in the decomposition of red blood cells. 

The liver is of such importance to the body, carrying out so many complex functions, that there is no way to compensate for the loss of the liver when it fails.

Symptoms of Hepatic Lipidosis

Clinically affected ferrets with Hepatic Lipidosis are present with any of the following: 

• Lethargy / Depression, 
• Tachypnea / abnormally rapid breathing, 
• Icterus / Jaundice / Yellowing of the skin (Best seen around the nose, paws and ears), 
• Dyspnea (difficult or laboured breathing.), 
• A pendulous abdomen, 
• Significant weakness / Ataxia: The loss of control of bodily movements in hind limbs.
• Prolonged skin tenting, 
• and mild tail-tip alopecia / loss of hair around the tail tip. 

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based on presenting clinical signs and haematological analysis (blood tests) of elevated triglycerides and metabolic acidosis. A liver biopsy may confirm the presence of the disease.

Treatment

Treatment requires forced feeding, esophagostomy tube placement and aggressive intravenous glucose supplementation. If the ferret is obese then a corrective diet is essential to correct obesity. A ferret on a species appropriate diet is rarely obese, unless there is an underlying condition which then may cause obesity due to medications.  Correcting any underlying disease such as pregnancy toxemia, insulinoma or adrenocortical adenocarcinoma is critical for survival of the ferret. 

If you suspect your ferret has this condition, get your ferret to a vet ASAP!!

References:
http://vet.uga.edu/ivcvm/courses/vpat5215/digestive/week03/liverpath/fatty_change.htm
http://vetbook.org/wiki/ferret/index.php?title=Hepatic_lipidosis
http://www.zoopath.com/DiseasesofDomesticFerrets.pdf
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2135&aid=217
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatty_liver
http://vetbook.org/wiki/cat/index.php/Hepatic_lipidosis
Common Diseases of Companion Animals by Allelic Summers
Elsevier: Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents by James W Carpenter, Katherine Quesenberry 

This article may be altered/edited/updated. 

Cooked Meat Ferret Diet

Cooked Meat For A Base Diet Is Not Appropriate

Base Diet is an animal's main source of nutrition. This blog post was written after I was asked about if someone could simply feed cooked meats, rather than go completely raw (according to the Holistic Ferret Forum, Frankenprey plan).  The main issue with feeding cooked meat is that it is not appropriate for long term base diet and I will explain about why it is inappropriate throughout this article. Take your time, and if anything doesn't make sense, feel free to comment.

So What Is Meat?

Meat is flesh of an animal and is mainly composed of water, protein, and fat.

Some meats contain carbohydrates however that is mainly processed meats; pre-packaged and deli meats are often processed with a sugar and salt solution or seasoning blends, conferring carbohydrates to the meats.  Eggs also have a trace amount of carbs (about .6g per egg).  All naturally-occurring meats should contain no carbohydrates.

Bone In Meat and Cooking?

Ferrets need bone in meat in their diet. The bone in meat must be strictly raw for health concerns. Never feed cooked bones to your ferrets as they can pose a serious risk. Once the bone in meat has gone through the cooking process, it can remove the nutritional value of the meat and the bones become more brittle, increasing the risk of splintering. Not only can the cooked bones cause splintering, but they could also result in broke teeth, mouth or tongue damage, or internal damage (Even Blockages!) due to the brittleness of the cooked bone.

Chemical Changes Happen?

Cooking brings about chemical changes in the meat. The textures and tastes change when food is cooked. Meat and eggs are good sources of protein and the protein molecules change shape as a result of the heat energy they absorb. This is called denaturing and it is unfortunately permanent. Denaturing causes changes in the appearance (colour) and texture (feel) of the meat and even eggs when they are cooked. 

For example:

• Meat becomes firmer and turns from red to brown, 
• Egg white solidifies and becomes white instead of transparent.

 Nutrients Loss

Cooking is known to degrade the nutrients in meat and causes the losses of vitamins, minerals and even amino acids. Meat that is used in highly processed pet food is cooked at very high temperatures, so they have to use added supplements into their foods in order to make up for lost nutrients. Since supplementation isn't always exact, you cannot expect it to be completely balanced.

Cooking reduces amount of vitamins B and C, which are known to help to build new cells and the genetic material DNA, aid with conversion of carbohydrates to energy, amino-acid metabolism, immune and nervous system functions:

- Thiamin (Vitamin B1) – up to 96% (if cooked for prolonged time) 

- Biotin – 72%
- Folic Acid – up to 97%
- Vitamin C – 70-80% loss.

Taurine, an organic acid which is found in all animal tissues, is not degraded by the freeze-thaw process when it comes to raw meats, however it is degraded when it is cooked or exposed to heat of some kind. Feeding cooked meat, especially if you have made it homemade is a huge risk to your obligate carnivore since this nutrient is essential for your ferrets overall health and may cause a taurine deficiency that can lead to blindness 
Obligate carnivores are not able to synthesise all the taurine they need from other amino acids (such as methionine and cysteine) unlike some other carnivores and unlike herbivores or omnivores. Taurine is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine. Taurine has many fundamental biological roles, such as conjugation of bile acids, anti-oxidation, osmoregulation, membrane stabilisation, and modulation of calcium singling. It is essential for cardiovascular function, and development and function of skeletal muscle, the retina, and the central nervous system. Taurine is unusual among biological molecules in being a sulfonic acid, while the vast majority of biologically occurring acids contain the more weakly acidic carboxyl group. While taurine is sometimes called an amino acid, and indeed is an acid containing an amino group, it is not an amino acid in the usual biochemical meaning of the term, which refers to compounds containing both an amino and a carboxyl group.  A diet that does not have enough taurine can cause the heart to stretch and enlarge (dilated cardiomyopathy). This can lead to congestive heart failure and death. In the eye, a low taurine diet can cause blindness from central retinal degeneration. 

Oils  are also known to become damaged due to heat, light, and oxygen. When exposed to these elements for too long, fatty acids in the oil become rancid (oxidized). Cooking not only destroys their health benefits, they may become carcinogenic. 

Enzymes are destroyed by cooking.

Any sustained heat of approximately 118 - 129 degrees Fahrenheit or 48-54 degrees Celsius destroys virtually all Enzymes in food. This basically means that cooked food entering the stomach would be devoid of enzymes.  Enzymes are important. They don’t just help to digest the food – they are living proteins that help repair DNA, make hormones, prevent clotting and so on. Eating a diet of cooked and processed foods would put incredible stress on our ferret's bodies. The pancreas in particular, since it has to produce massive quantities of digestive enzymes after consuming a food that is devoid of enzymes.

Digestive enzymes are produced primarily in the pancreas and released into the duodenum to help digest food coming from the stomach. The intestines themselves also secrete amylase and other digestive enzymes.  Most mammals produce amylase in the saliva, but dogs, cats and ferrets do not. 

Their function in digestion. Three main types of enzyme help break down macronutrients in food: 1 - Protease, to break down protein. 2 - Lipase, to digest fat. 3 - Amylase, to process carbohydrates.

Although, to some degree, enzymes can be replenished by manufacturing metabolic enzymes in the liver and digestive enzymes in the pancreas(primarily for protein digestion), the number of enzymes each cell can produce is limited. Most of the enzymes needed for digestion should come from food. Eating a raw food diet takes stress off the pancreas (and the entire body) by providing the enzymes required for digestion. It is one of the primary advantages of a raw food diet. 

Then what about treats?

Feeding cooked meats as treats is alright providing it is done in moderations. Too many treats in general can throw off the balance for the ferrets overall diet. As long as the ferret has a balanced diet, preferably of raw or whole prey, then adding along some cooked meats as treats in should be acceptable. They would get all their nutrients from their base diet, so the lack of nutrients in the treats are fine in this case and the ferrets can have the yummy taste instead. The treats should be cooked without anything added. No salts, no added flavours or enhancers. Completely natural is always the healthiest option. I prefer to do steamed, because steaming foods does enhance some nutrients and brings out more natural flavours.

Prepping raw is time consuming enough, so why would you want to cook it all the time when it comes to the base diet? In my opinion, It's not only healthy to simply keep it raw, but its also easier and less time consuming. We already spend so much time on chopping up raw as it is. Freezing already changes the textures slightly as well, so why would you want to change it even more by cooking? If you were to also cook the meat for a base diet, where would the bones go? Since I mentioned earlier, you would have to scrap bones from the diet  since it would be unsafe to keep them if you want to cook the meat. That means more teeth cleaning on a daily basis and you may even have to add in supplements to the diet. Its just not worth it.

In Conclusion

Yes, To some degree you could feed your ferret some cooked meat. It is not recommended for a long term diet since it would be lacking in essential nutrients to keep your ferret healthy.  Supplmentation should only ever be done under supervision of a Veterinarian, or an Animal Health Care Professional. Cooked meat can easily be fed as a treat along side a balanced diet, but cooked Bone in meat should be avoided as it poses a serious health threat.

I hope this was of some use to you.

Thanks for reading,

The Liver & It's Detoxification Process

The Liver.

The liver is one of the four major organs that eliminate toxins from the body. The other three organs involved are the kidneys, intestinal tract and skin. The liver detoxifies harmful substances whether they come from internal sources such as burning sugars, fats, protein, or from external sources like medications, drugs, hormone enhancers, food additives, preservatives, food colourings, sweeteners, flavour enhancers, chemicals used in agriculture, alcohols, volatile organic compounds, fumes, air pollution and many other factors. Many of the toxins that enter the body are fat soluble which means they dissolve only in fatty or oily solutions and not it water. They all must travel through the body and the first step in the detoxification process they will encounter is the liver. The liver has to convert fat soluble toxins into water soluble substances that can be excreted from the body.

Detoxification process:

The liver plays several roles in detoxification: it filters the blood to remove large toxins, synthesises and gets rid of bile full of cholesterol and other fat-soluble toxins, and the live enzymatically eliminates unwanted chemicals. The enzymatic process to dispose of toxins occurs in two phases: phase 1 (Oxidations) and phase 2 (Conjugation).

Phase 1 neutralizes the toxin or changes the toxic chemical to form activated intermediates which will then be neutralized by phase 2 of the enzyme system. This pathway converts a toxic chemical into a less harmful chemical and is achieved by oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis reactions. During this process, free radicals are produced and if there are too many it can damage the liver cells. With the help of antioxidant, it reduces the damage caused by free radicals. One important antioxidant for neutralizing the free radicals produced in phase 1 is glutathione (GHS) is oxidized to glutathione disulfide (GSSG). This antioxidant is required for one of the key phase 2 processes. When so many free radicals are produced from phase 1, the glutathione stops producing oxidative stress or liver damage. The toxins are then transformed into activated intermediates; therefore the rate at which phase 1 produces activated intermediates must be balanced by the rate at which phase 2 finishes their processing. Phase 2 is called the conjugation pathway because the liver cells add another substance such as cysteine, glycine, or a sulphur molecule to a toxic chemical to make it less harmful. As a result it makes the toxin water-soluble so that it may then be excreted from the body via watery fluids such as bile or urine. There are six phase 2 detoxification pathways:

1. Glutathione conjugation
2. Amino acid conjugation
3. Sulfation
4. Acetylation
5. Glucuronidation

These conjugation molecules join with specific enzymes to catalyze the reaction process. The liver is then able to turn drugs, hormones, and other various toxins into substances that are secreted from the body.

Cataracts in ferrets.

Let’s talk about Cataracts in ferrets.

By: Machan.

In this we will cover the following:

1. What is a cataract?

2. What causes cataracts?

3. Can they be treated?

4. Looking after a ferret with a cataract.

What is a cataract?

Cataracts are an eye disease, where the internal lens of the eye becomes clouded with an opaque milky white film. They’re painless and often progressive over a period of time. Cataracts cause blurred vision and occur when protein builds up in the lens of the eye. That build up prevents light from passing through the lens and can cause some loss of vision. Other than blurred vision, cataracts can also cause light sensitivity especially to light glares. Distortion or double vision can also happen in the affected eye and over time the cataract can lead to total loss of vision. Cataracts are more easily seen in dark eyed ferrets compared to albino red eyed ferrets. In dark eyed ferrets, Cataracts appear as a milky dull white opaque film on their pupils while in albinos it appears as a pink film that isn't as easily seen.

What causes cataracts?

There are a number of causes for cataracts in ferrets, including metabolic, hereditary, congenital, infections and trauma or damage to the eye. Cataracts are more likely to form after the age of 7, or in older ferrets. Other health conditions can also increase the risk of cataracts, for example Diabetes, Uveitis and Aleutians disease. Long-term use of steroid medications, exposure to certain drugs, or oxygen toxicity during anaesthesia, too, can cause cataracts to develop. Just because something ‘can’ cause cataracts to develop, doesn’t necessarily always mean that they ‘will’, it simply means that there are the possibilities of cataracts forming. Juvenile cataracts are not that rare among ferrets. They don’t happen often, but they can happen. Especially in early ages, or even since birth. Most of the time a Juvenile cataract is congenital or hereditary in origin, But damage to the eye or even a poor diet can cause cataracts or blindness. A Taurine deficiency can cause Blindness in ferrets, so regardless of age it is essential for a well balanced diet. 

Can they be treated?

Cataracts can be treated, only if there is swelling or redness in the affected eye. Anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to keep the eye less inflamed and to make it more comfortable for the ferret. That cannot bring any vision back to the affected eye, but it can keep the eye calm and manageable. Surgery can be done to remove the cataract, however it is a risky procedure for ferrets. Ferrets have very small eyes compared to a dog or cat which makes it more difficult to extract the lens. Surgery is also quite costly, rarely done and best avoided for the sake of the ferret.

Looking after a ferret with a cataract.

Ferrets with cataracts or blindness can live a normal. healthy and happy life just like a ferret with normal vision. Give them the same love and care, you would any other ferret and don't look at them for their health condition or disability. Ferrets in general have poor vision and are nearsighted. They see things that are close more easily compared to things that are further away. They are highly dependant on their sense of smell and hearing so they can use those two senses to easily get themselves around their home and cage. If you need to move things around in the home, make sure to do so over time to avoid the ferret from having any accidents or becoming confused. If you can, avoid moving things around all together. Handle the ferret normally but be aware that you may need to be gentle and try to avoid startling them especially if they're totally blind. They will also memorise their surrounding and some have been known to use a seeing eye ferret. When picking up or petting a blind or semi blind ferret, speak to them softly and clearly to make them aware of your presence, otherwise there may be a chance that they may spook and bite or nip out of fear. Cataracts will not in any way, stop the ferret from leading a normal happy and healthy life. Though they won't visually see you, they will know you by scent and voice. 

Here’s image example of a cataract in a dark eyed ferret. This is my 2 year old boy Beavis. He had no injury or trauma to his left eye, so it is suspected to be a hereditary juvenile cataract in only his left eye. He still plays normally and is enjoying life. The Cataract is no hindrance to him.

It started to form on the 25th of August and by the 1st of September. Under a week it was clearly visible.
Some cataracts can take a while to completely form, while some are very quick to form.

References:
Biology and Diseases of the Ferret by James G. Fox.
www.visionaustralia.org/eye-health/eye-conditions/cataracts
www.webmd.com/eye-health/cataracts/health-cataracts-eyes 
www.veterinarypracticenews.com/April-2009/Trauma-And-Disease-Threaten-Ferret-Eyes-And-Lives/
www.cypresskeep.com/Ferretfiles/Body-Eyes-FM.htm

Read more: http://holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/19130/cataracts-ferrets#ixzz3uhTtggXv

Ferret Teeth

An adult ferret has a total of 34 permanent adult teeth which consist of the incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Kits, baby ferrets, have 30 teeth which should be in by 3 months of age and then replaced with adult teeth by 9 months of age.

Each of these teeth plays a specific role in helping the ferret to catch and consume its prey.

• There are 4 canines, also called “fang” or “eye” teeth, are quite large and are located at the front of the mouth on the top and bottom jaw. They are used to puncture and grip onto their prey.

• The upper third premolar and lower first molar are found near the back of the ferret’s mouth, and in front of the non-carnassial molars, are the carnassial (or sectoral) teeth. The purpose of these teeth is to shear through tissue and bone, much like scissors cut through paper. The non-carnassial molars at the rear of the mouth can be used to crush or grind up invertebrates.

• The 6 small Incisors are located on the front of the mouth, between the canines and they are used to help scrape meat off the bone, but it appears that ferrets can continue to eat food with little hindrance if these are lost or damaged.

Each of the ferret’s 34 teeth serve a specific purpose and allow for the efficient consumption of raw and whole prey foods. With that being said, it is very clear that these cute little guys’ teeth are built for flesh. Kibble on the other hand, increases the chance of teeth wear and grinds away ferret teeth at faster rates than in larger animals not simply because their teeth are smaller, but because they have proportionately less volume of dentine when compared to the teeth of larger carnivores. 

Ferret teeth is not designed to chew kibble. Kibble does not cut like meat. When meat is compressed by opposing cutting teeth, it compacts and severs as the teeth scissor through the tissue. Some tissue is dragged back and forth on the teeth, but the friction is slight and the wear rate is low. Of great importance to the teeth is that the tissue compresses during eating, which imparts little impact to the tooth, and in some cases can even act as a shock absorber to dental tissues. However, when kibble is eaten, it doesn’t compress-it fractures and drags across the tops of the carnassials. Kibble is a hard substance, so ferrets chew it in a predictable manner on specific teeth. This makes tooth wear predictable. These teeth are simply not structurally designed to process a food as abrasive as kibble. These teeth are extremely small, and are designed for holding and ripping tissue, not crushing abrasive biscuits. They wear down very rapidly, and it is not unusual to find only the tops of the roots protruding from the recessed gums.There is zero evidence that consuming a kibble diet will keep the teeth of ferrets clean. In fact, the opposite was found to be true; most ferrets consuming kibble had as much dental tartar, or more, as those consuming a wet diet (wet cat food, chicken baby food, a/d, etc.). Pet ferrets consuming a natural diet, polecats, black-footed ferrets, and New Zealand feral ferrets had very little dental tartar. 

Ferret dental problems are similar to dog and cat conditions. Fractured teeth and broken canines are quite common for ferrets. A tooth can break from a fight or other trauma. Ferrets, especially those confined to cages for long periods of time, are prone to biting cage wire in an attempt to escape. Over time, distinct wear patterns emerge that are distinguishable from dietary attrition. The notching on the canine indicated by the arrow significantly reduces the biomechanical strength of the tooth, increasing its likelihood of fracture. Sometimes only the enamel is chipped and if that is the case then it should be treated by a veterinarian who will sedate the ferret and file down any rough edges. If the tooth fractures and exposes the nerve, the treatment of choice is to remove the inflamed nerve in order to save the tooth. 

Ferrets can also suffer from some orthodontic conditions. If one or both of the lower canines may abnormally point forward. this condition may cause the upper lip to become inflamed and cause excess dryness of the lower gum tissues. The treatment for this consists of removing half or three quarters of the tooth’s height and sealing the pulp chamber with medication and acrylic bonding. 

Periodontal disease is the most common condition in the ferret older than six years. Periodontal disease can be decreased through cleaning every six months and daily tooth brushing. Some cat toothpastes appear to be safe to use in ferrets but please remember to check ingredients before using anything because some toothpastes can contain toxic or harmful ingredients to ferrets. The treatment of periodontal disease consists of extraction of loose teeth and frequent veterinary oral evaluations.