From:
Renee Rider
Date: 2001-04-08 09:10:00 UTC
Subject: gagging ferret
Hello. I'm a foster mom and would like to know if anyone has
any ideas of what is going on with my newest foster.
One week ago, I got a pair of females that are about 5 years
old. They were turned into the local Animal Shelter and were
going to be put to sleep. Then, the came to me. One
developed a fur-ball and I split them up, so that I could make
sure she passed the fur-ball, and that she was eating. She is
fine.
However, during that time, I noticed that the other one
started having green diarrhea. She also gags when she drinks
water. I had seen her act weird, but she had been drinking
out of a dog bowl when she was playing, and I thought she just
wasn't use to getting her whiskers wet. However, she does it
every time she drinks, even out of the water bottle. She
drinks, then gags, does a cough, and often paws at her mouth.
It reminds me of one time I had a ferret who got her teeth in
a raisin, and got it stuck to the top of her mouth. I tried
to get a video of it with my digital camera, if that would
help anyone figure out what I'm talking about. I attached it,
and it is at http://people.ne.mediaone.net/riderr/koto.htm.
In the past 36 hours, she has eaten none of her dry kibble.
She is still alert and everything. Having only had her for a
week, I can't really tell you if she has had a change in
activity level. She could be a little less active, I thought
she was just a sweet, calm ferret. She comes to my foot and
sits on it until I pick her up. I made duck soup with 2 drops
of children's kaopectate for the diarrhea. I didn't have to
force it on her, she just ate 2ccs.
Does anyone have any ideas what is going on? I realize that
the diarrhea could be from the stress of moving around and
getting separated from her playmate. But the mouth thing has
me really worried.
Attachment 258k (video/mpg) Mvc-070v.mpg