Pregnancy toxemia in the European ferret (Mustela putorius furo).
OBJECTIVE
Pregnancy toxemia may lead to appreciable mortality among jills and their offspring. The objective of this report was to increase awareness of the disease, its likely cause, and practical prevention and treatment measures.


METHODS
Ten cases of pregnancy toxemia were evaluated. Jills were in late gestation (mean, 38 days; range, 34 to 42 days) and had large litters (mean, 11.5 kits; range, 7 to 15 kits).


RESULTS
The most common clinical signs of disease were lethargy, inappetence, dehydration, and excess shedding. Hematologic and clinical biochemical abnormalities included anemia (4 of 8 jills tested), hypoproteinemia (5 of 7), azotemia (7 of 7), hypocalcemia (5 of 6), hyperbilirubinemia (3 of 3), and high liver enzyme activities (6 of 6). Two jills were found dead; two jills were euthanized, six received supportive treatment, and cesarean section was performed on five. The three jills that survived tended to have less pronounced azotemia, hypoproteinemia, and liver enzyme activity increases and were not anemic. Hepatic lipidosis was observed grossly in all jills that died and was confirmed by histologic examination in four jills.


CONCLUSIONS
Pregnancy toxemia in ferrets resembles metabolic diseases in several other animal species and requires aggressive treatment, including supportive care, nutritional supplementation, and cesarean section. Maintaining adequate nutrition and avoiding stress late in gestation may prevent the disease.
Batchelder
M A
MA
Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139-4307, USA.
Bell
J A
JA
Erdman
S E
SE
Marini
R P
RP
Murphy
J C
JC
Fox
J G
JG
D000740:Anemia / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000652:urine; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000172:deficiency; D003681:Dehydration / Q000662:veterinary; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D005289:Ferrets; D006996:Hypocalcemia / Q000662:veterinary; D007659:Ketones / Q000652:urine; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012894:Sleep Stages; D014511:Uremia / Q000662:veterinary
D001798:Blood Proteins; D007659:Ketones; D008055:Lipids; D001663:Bilirubin