Message Number: SG1472 | New FHL Archives Search
From: jeggink98@yahoo.com
Date: 2002-09-19 00:11:53 UTC
Subject: Ferret losing weight slowly - previous adrenal surgery
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <9884382.1032394313608.JavaMail.root@scandium>

My ferret had bilateral adrenal surgery over a month ago now and developed Addison's disease. Some of you may remember me posting about Sammy. Anyway, we gave him the shot of DMCP (?) instead of florineff, and gave him pred and he has been doing OK. The shot is now out of his system and it looks like the remnant of his right adrenal is kicking in as we had a sodium / potassium ratio done and it was 29. We are now weaning him off Pred.

Anyway, Sammy has not been eating the same since the surgery and now in total has lost ~.75 lbs bringing him down to ~1.5 lbs. I am getting really concerned as he is consistently, and slowly losing weight. In surgery they checked for a blockage and found none, so that is not the problem. Does anyone have any ideas as to what the problem may be??? I am very concerned over the continued weight loss. He is eating, but not very much, just enough to get by, and he is still playing around. He is about 4.5 yrs old now.

I don't know quite what to do and I am not sure if my vet does either.

Thanks, Judi