The Bell Family Pets
My name is Isabeau, and my mom, Erin, is a veterinary technician at East Hilliard Veterinary Services. I just wanted to explain to all the other cats out there why you should feel lucky that YOU don't have a parent who works at a vet hospital!

My life used to be perfect. I was the "only child" at my house, and I'll be the first to tell you that I was the only planned pet. And I liked it that way just fine! I came from an animal shelter in 1993, and quickly made the house my own. But when I was three years old, my mom decided to adopt another kitten. Who knows why!? She must have thought I needed a playmate, but Shelby is NOT my idea of the perfect little friend. But I guess I should have a little sympathy; after all, she was abandoned with her sister and brothers when she was only four weeks old, so she obviously needed a place to stay. And what's one more cat? It was a big enough apartment that I could get away when I needed to. And she's good for a laugh or two every so often.

But the adopting never stops! Navarre came in 1997, and he was adopted when a vet hospital client found him in the parking lot of her grocery store with serious injuries from sleeping in a warm car engine. He eventually needed to have his left rear leg amputated, one of his kidneys removed, and he even lost some of his intestines from eating sewing thread. The client who brought him in could not afford to keep him, and my bad luck was that my mom was at work that day. So she brought the little "half-a-cat", as my dad calls him, home to live with us. At least he doesn't bother me much; since his outside and hospital experiences, he's too afraid to come out in the open, and he stays in the basement.

Then Mom decided we had enough cats. I thought we did, too, but that didn't mean I thought we should branch out into DOGS! And I certainly didn't mean we needed the tallest dog in the world! But one of the vet hospital's clients was an Irish Wolfhound breeder, and she had a Wolfhound with some health problems that she couldn't find a home for. So my mom, being VERY Irish, decided this would be the perfect dog for us. She didn't even ask me how I felt about it! But Tibet came to live with us in 1998, and at least she respects my authority. I guess she's a good dog, as dogs go, even though she causes way more trouble for Mom and Dad than I do, since she has both food and contact allergies.

I thought the house was full enough, but, as usual, Mom had other ideas. Our last, and in my opinion, WORST addition is Midget. He's a scruffy little mutt that just won't leave me alone! He used to belong to my mom's grandmother, and he came to live with us when she passed away in 1999. That little beast chases me and Shelby mercilessly, and he doesn't care that I'M the one in charge! Even though he's smaller than I am, he seems to think he can just do what he wants. Since he came to live with us, I spend more time upstairs, but now that I'm 10 years old, it's nicer that way anyway.

So you see? My life used to be perfect. But now that Mom and Dad brought home a new human baby, she says we're done having new pets. I certainly hope so!

Welcome to Megan Baldy
We'd like to welcome another new member of the extended family at East Hilliard Veterinary services. Kathy Baldy and her husband Scott traveled to Vietnam in February to bring home their newly adopted daughter, Megan, who is two years old. The word is that Kathy's three Golden Retrievers happily welcomed Megan into their home. She is a real cutie and is rapidly learning her new place in the world.

Adrenal Gland Disease in Ferrets
Adrenocortical disease is a common malady affecting pet ferrets in the United States. Typically, it is seen in middle-aged to older ferrets. (Their average life span is five - eight years.) This disease is similar to Cushing's disease in dogs, but the clinical signs are different. The primary symptom in ferrets is hair loss, generally in a symmetrical pattern. The hair loss often begins on the rump, the tail, or the flanks, and spreads up the sides and along the back and chest. In females, another common symptom is vulvar enlargement. Occasionally, male ferrets will have urinary blockage or difficulty urinating. Other symptoms include pruritis (itchiness), increased odor, and behavioral changes. The most common behavioral change is seen in males and consists primarily of an increase is aggressive tendencies.

Adrenocortical disease is caused by the hyperactivity of the adrenal gland. The reason for this hyperactivity is not totally understood. There are a variety of possible causes currently being researched. There are two treatment options for adrenocortical disease; medical management or surgical management. Medical management is not curative, however, and is only an option in certain instances. Surgical management, or removal of the adrenal gland(s), is curative and is the most common treatment option. A pre-anesthetic workup is performed to ascertain the ferret's overall condition. Older ferrets frequently have heart disease. Lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) is fairly common in ferrets, as is insulinoma, a malignant pancreatic tumor.

Generally, the patient spends only one night in the veterinary hospital after an adrenalectomy, and most ferrets recover quickly. If you notice any of these symptoms in your pet ferret, contact your veterinarian right away.(Ferret photo taken from Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents Clinical Medicine and Surgery by Elizabeth Hillyer, DVM and Katherine Quesenberry, DVM.)

Insulinoma in Ferrets
Insulinomas are pancreatic islet cell tumors and are one of the most common tumors that occur in middle-aged to older ferrets. Symptoms of insulinoma are those you would commonly see in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar): mental dullness, confusion, "star-gazing", excessive salivation, weakness, lethargy, seizures, and coma. Ferrets with insulinomas can be managed medically or surgically. Oral medications and dietary changes can control the symptoms of hypoglycemia but will not cure the insulinoma. Surgical removal of the pancreatic nodules (or a partial pancreatectomy) is usually not curative but may stop or slow progression of the insulinoma.

Goodbye and Good Luck
A very valuable part of our staff is our part time veterinary students. They are a huge help here, and they get a lot of hands-on experience. However, each year at this same time, we lose two good employees. The fourth-year veterinary students go into their year-long "clinics". It is a very intense period of their training and there is no time left to work for us too. This year we say farewell to Corinne McGregor and Laura Nusbaum. Thank you for all your efforts and good luck in your careers. We are sure you both will make excellent veterinarians.

Welcome to Our New Veterinary Students
Stacey Poskarbiewicz, originally from Toledo, Ohio, did her undergraduate studies at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. She has worked at the Animal Medical Center in Findlay and at Total Pet Care in Maumee, Ohio. She currently is a first year student at The Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine. Stacey has a special interest in small animal medicine and surgery. Currently she has no pets but lives in an apartment "full of roommates' animals".

Jen Huck comes to Ohio from Boston. She went to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, for her undergraduate degree. She has worked in non-human primate medicine and radiation oncology. After graduation from OSU in 2006, she plans to have a career in laboratory animal medicine or to work in small animal general practice. Jen has two young cats, Greta and Lou, who are her pride and joy.

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