From:
luvaferret
Date: 2001-12-19 17:42:00 UTC
Subject: IBD ferret now has GI bleeding, may not make it.
Hi FHL,
The saga of my IBD ferret, BJ, has begun a very frightening chapter.
He was taken off of Imuran about 10 days ago, when he started
developing bruises. We started Vit K injections and the bruising
improved a bit. Monday morning I noticed he was a little lethargic,
and shivering. His feet felt a little cooler, too. I got into bed
with him and warmed him up for a while and the shivering stopped. I
gave him sub-q fluids and fed him his A/D and pumpkin before I went
to work around 11:00 AM. He had perked up a bit and was looking good
when I left. When I got home around 9 PM, I went upstairs to check on
him, and I was met with about 6 pumpkin-colored bowel movements
throughout the room. He hit all the towels that I had put down in
front of the litter boxes for him to wipe his sore little heiny on. I
knew instantly something was wrong. This ferret always hits the box.
He was lethargic, barely using his hind legs, and refused to eat his
soup. I managed to get only a few CC's into him before he threw a
fit. I gave him his fluids and Dex injection and cleaned up the
ferret room. He started moving around a little better. I went to bed
and got up around 3 AM to try to feed him again. He wouldn't have it.
I managed only a few CC's again in the morning, gave him more fluid
and left for work. When I got home, he seemed "larger" to me. He only
weighed 1.5 lbs on Thursday. Now he weighed 2.5 lbs.(5 days later)
and his belly was wider. My ferret specialist was not available, so I
took him to a local vet. She gave him a small dose of lasix. She was
afraid to tap him because of the clotting problem. The ascites
lessened a few hours later. That night he started having bloody
stools. That is all he has had since. Every two hours, nothing but
bloody, black-burgundy, clumpy, clotty smeary puddles with a gelatin
consistency. His GI tract, in particular his colon, is bleeding,
possibly the entire length. I started him on Carafate (1/4 tab 4 x
daily).
My vet agreed to see me on her day off, taking time away from the
hospital Christmas party. His chest x-ray was within normal
parameters and not too much abdominal fluid. She didn't feel a tap
was necessary. Heart beat over 300. Ultrasound was within normal
parameters. Urinalysis showed bilirubin, which we expected. Bloodwork
was contraindicated because of how much he'd already lost and could
continue to loose. My vet feels he has an auto-immune disorder.
Funny, Imuran is used to treat that, but starting again now won't
give us fast enough results. I wonder if taking him off it caused
this downhill slide? We are increasing the Dex to .4 ml daily(he was
getting only .2 ml), started on Amoxi and Biaxin, Carafate 4 X daily,
Vit K .3 ml twice a day, and sub-q fluid once daily. If the bleeding
doesn't stop within 24 hours, he won't make it. We could do a
tranfusion, but if he's still bleeding, what is the point? God, why
do they always have to have something terrible take them down? If it
doesn't stop, the most I can hope for is that he passes peacefully in
his sleep. I have had to euthanize two ferrets in the past nine
months, one just two months ago. I couldn't bear to have to make that
decision again this soon. My heart is sick. I've been crying on and
off all day and couldn't go to work. How will I get through tomorrow?
Please say a little prayer for my BJ. Nothing short of a miracle is
going to save him.
Dodie in NJ