From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-03-21 22:02:00 UTC
Subject: Re: My ferret is ill?
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "da2pakrats" <da2pakrats@n...> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am new to this group. My question is regarding the health of my
four year old female (Kimmi).
>
> About two weeks ago I notice that she was gaining some weight. I
was away on vacation for 10 days and just came back yesterday. When
picking her up from the "sitter" I notice that her belly is very big
and swollen looking. She is not listless nor has diarrea. The only
other symptom is that she has lost some of the hair on her stomache
and tail, but that was about 3 or 4 months ago. The hair loss
happened before and she grew it all back again.
>
> Any diagnoses? This would be of great help and I do plan on taking
her to the vet as soon as possible!
Dear Sherri:
I don't think that I can make any significant comment except that you
should trust your instincts and go to the vet. Although the only
evidence of possible disease is abdominal swelling (in an animal that
was noticeably gaining weight prior to your vacation), an owner often
has insight into what is normal for their ferret and what is not.
I wiould suggest a good abdominal X-ray to determine if there is
fluid in the abdomen or just fat.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
Join the Ferret Health List at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list