From:
NCFerretMom@yahoo.com
Date: 2002-09-16 20:34:37 UTC
Subject: Environmental or medical? Help!
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <30864797.1032208477213.JavaMail.root@scandium>
I need help with some brainstorming please. Can this be environmental or am=
I dealing with a bug here?
Today I went in to give the ferrets their meds and chicken gravy. Swee=92 P=
ea is lying on the linoleum floor in a nearly flat ferret pose. I picked he=
r up and she moaned. Her abdomen was distended and felt bloated. (If you re=
member, this is similar to what happened to Dodger several weeks ago.) =
Her anus was extruded, apparently from pushing to poop. However, her poops =
have been normal. Occasionally they are small, but I have seen no indicatio=
n of blockage. She was rather incontinent while I was holding her and she h=
ad loose, normal smelling stool.
I gave her .3 cc of the Reglan. I took her to the vet and checked her blood=
glucose level there. It was 209. (Normally hers is about 80 =96 90). Her l=
ast pred dose (.3 mg) was at least 10 hours before the test. Temp was 96 F.=
Her breath has been *strange* for about a week. It does not smell like acet=
one, but bad. She drinks a LOT of water, but has been hydrated. This am she=
was dehydrated.
Swee=92 Pea is about 6 =96 7 years old, insulinomic and adrenal. She has di=
fficulty seeing and also appears to be experiencing some hearing problems a=
nd startles very easily when approached. Since her Lupron injection I have =
noticed hair growth and some improved activity level. She seemed better.
I last saw Swee=92Pea at midnight and at that time she was fine. She was ac=
tive enough to actually get up and steal a piece of pizza crust, dance acro=
ss the room to several hiding spots before selecting one, NOT run into anyt=
hing.
So, do I have something environmental going on here? What can I check? And,=
if it is NOT environmental, what do y=92all suggest? Back in March, Oscar =
did something very similar and the x-ray showed a gassy, distended stomach.=
This is 3 of 7. I am getting concerned and if I can do something, I want t=
o. I will be going away the last week of Sept. and need to try to make sure=
all are doing fine while I am gone!
Similarities: =
Both Swee=92 Pea and Dodger are insulinomic and have adrenal disease. =
Both get pred bid. =
Both had a Lupron injection the same day.
Food. I combine Totally Ferret, 8-in-1 Ultimate, Mazuri, Shepherd & Greene =
Senior and Iams Cat Original (orange bag). The combo depends on when I run =
out of something and the mix varies. They get chicken gravy daily. Treats a=
re the chicken FerretBites or TF.
Help! Even *far out* suggestions may help.
The vet=92s office called. She is responding well to treatment. They gave h=
er warmed sub-q fluids/IV and Dex. Not sure what else as I haven=92t been a=
ble to connect with him yet, but that was the plan when I left her.
Thank you. Sorry for the length. I am grasping here!
Renee :)
=