From:
Roger Vaughn
Date: 2001-12-14 15:39:00 UTC
Subject: "Soft" Stools
Hi,
I've read over recent posts about loose stools, but I still have some question
about my ferret Digger's condition. Since we got him in June (from a chain
store, no breeding cert.), his stools have been "soft" - not loose, not runny,
but squishy - and dark. They will actually vary in consistency from the
occasional runny, to foamy, to wet bird-seed, to formed but soft and wet, to
the very occasional almost-firm stool. Most of them are the formed but soft
and wet variety. Lately many also have a dark green tint which becomes
apparent when they are cleaned up.
Two months ago we had a scare with him when he vomited and panicked. He was
being treated for an ear infection at the time. We took him to the hospital,
and he ended up undergoing an exploratory (poor guy isn't even a year old)
which found only excess gas and fluids in his stomach, but no blockage. A
stomach tissue biopsy indicated some evidence of eosinophilia but showed
negative for heliobacter. The lab ruled it eosinophilic gastroenteritis, and
he was treated with cephalexin. A CBC (complete blood count) was not done at
the time.
Since that time he has healed well, but the stools haven't changed. Our vet
has thought his bowels were inflamed on repeated rechecks, so he has been on
and off of pred, chloramphenicol, and now sucralfate. Two weeks ago I finally
had the CBC done, and all of the numbers came back good except for a PCV of
about 25, indicating anemia. Peripheral eosinophilia was negative. (We used a
lab with ferret specialists this time...)
Digger is active and happy and doesn't seem to be in any pain, but his stools
do not respond to any of the meds. The anemia coupled with the stools seems to
indicate gastric ulcers, but we can't seem to find any root cause, or control
the symptoms. I (as a layperson, not a vet!) would almost think this was a
case of ECE, except that the stools don't seem to be clearing up.
Oh - we tried the obvious first - for food he's been through Marshall's, 8-in-1
Ultimate, and now Zupreem with no apparent change. I'm going to try the
Gerber's, but haven't yet.
Is this something that normally happens to ferrets? Is there another
diagnostic we can use to try to narrow this down, or do we just rule it non-
specific enteritis and hope it goes away?
Thanks for any advice.
roger