From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-06-10 23:32:00 UTC
Subject: Re: ECE 2 months in
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., cherrisa@y... wrote:
> Well I'm two months into ECE. Skippy is totally over it and Bugsy
> just isn't getting the eating thing. The last three weeks he'll
eat
> a little bit of crunchy food but that only lasts for a few days and
> he's back to not eating again. I'm still syringe feeding him with
> Science Diet A/D. His stools will also go from solid back to runny.
> This week is in the not eating stage and his stools are mucousy
with
> little reminence that he is actually digesting of what I'm feeding
> him. It's been kind of warm here so I'm wondering if him being to
> warm has anything to do with it. I do have the air on but
sometimes
> it's hard to get it around the corner to the back of the house and
> the three fans in the office where the ferrets are are always on.
Dear Cherrisa:
Some ferrets do take a while to bounce back from ECE, so I wouldn't
be overly concerned at this point - the worst is certainly over.
There are three points that I would like to address from your post -
1) If the stools are solid black - that might be something to
examine in more detail - are you currently giving any medication,
such as Pepto-Bismol (which may turn the feces black)? Black stools
uggest gastric bleeding and I am wondering if he might also have a
gastric ulcer that is impeding his recovery - does he grind his teeth
during feeding?
2) Have you given any medication within the last thirty day, such as
prednisione. A month after infection, I often suggest a low-dose of
prednsione for a couple of weeks to ferrets who are not putting
weight back on. These ferrets often have a proound inflammatory
disease going on as a result of the infection, and a low dose of
prednisone may take the edge off of it.
3) Heat is certainly a stressor in ferrets - it would be helpful to
note what the tempertaure actually is back in there, and if any of
the others are having any problems. A solution may be to move the
cages into a cooler area of the house during the warmer months.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
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