Diagnosis of an Abdominal Splenosis in a Case of Ambulatory Paraparesis of the Hind Limbs in a Ferret ( Mustela putorius furo)

Abstract

A 2-year-old spayed female ferret ( Mustela putorius furo) was presented with a 2-day history of ambulatory paraparesis of the hind limbs. On physical examination a mass was palpated in the cranial abdominal region, caudal to the stomach. A complete blood cell count revealed a normocytic normochromic anemia and reactive lymphocytes. A hypoechoic abdominal mass was observed during an ultrasound examination of the abdomen. An exploratory laparotomy was recommended and performed during which a pyramidal mass resembling a lobe of fatty liver tissue, plus omental torsion, was removed. The histopathologic diagnosis of the surgically removed mass was splenosis. The abdominal pain and ambulatory paraparesis resolved after surgery, which suggests that the paraparesis was due to pain. The findings in this report indicate that splenosis should be included as a differential diagnosis when a ferret presents with an abdominal mass and acute abdominal pain.