From:
lshoup@mtso.edu
Date: 2002-10-27 03:14:34 UTC
Subject: Please Help....
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <29182008.1035688474796.JavaMail.root@scandium>
I have been racking my brains out over my 3 year old Meesha. Maybe someone can please help me.
My wife and I were concerned that he might have some type of infection, and our vet did an ultrasound on Meesha on October 14th, and everything appeared fine. There was no blockage, heart and lungs were fine, and he was eating well.
Late Thursday evening, I noticed that Meesha was sneezing and coughing, more than just a dust sneeze. The cough was dry cough, no discharge. Friday morning I called my vet, whose office is 2 hours away. She started treating this as an upper respiratory infection, and called in to the nearest vet's office where I live for a prescription for Clavamox.
This morning (Saturday), I noticed that Meesha did not eat anything on his own from midnight (late friday) until 9 am this morning. I called my vet, and she said to give the medication time to work and if he still acts like this on Monday to bring him in.
So we have been feeding Meesha baby food, the Clavamox medicine twice a day, some furovite. There still is no blockage, he still goes to the bathroom fine. He is not lethargic, in fact he appears to be very energetic. The sneezing / dry coughing only happens when he is awake, not when he is asleep. The coughing sound is like a "gacking" sound, again with no discharge. He eats baby food very well, but will not eat much kibble on his own. When he woke up this morning he ate a lot, but I think that's because he didn't eat anything at all for 8 hours (I put 100 pieces in his isolated cage, and there were 99 left). After he was finished his first meal this morning, he ate 29 pieces. Througout the whole day, he only has eaten 20 pieces of kibble on his own. My wife just fed him a whole jar of Gerber's chicken baby food. That makes two whole jars for the day. He has no problem drinking water on his own.
My first impression is cardiomyopathy, but the symptoms do not seem to be there....he is energetic when we play with him, no "speed bumping" (to rule out insulinoma), and it is my understanding that cardiomyopathy does not just develop "overnight." My wife had to take a class where I go to school for continuing ed and we "trained" one of our neighbors how to care for them, and she didn't notice any sneezing or coughing - and that has been since this tuesday. My wife said he was fine Wednesday and all day thursday. I noticed this happening Thursday night, the very first sign of anything wrong.
Again, I am just racking my brain out of what this could be. We even gave him some petromalt to make sure it just wasn't a hairball, but he still continues - like he is congested or something. My wife describes it as a cat trying to cough up a furball.
He was fine October 14th through October 24th. I do not know what could have developed overnight; and I do not know if I can wait until Monday. It doesn't appear that he is in any pain or discomfort - I felt his stomach area and his chest area and he doesn't squirm as if he is hurting or anything. I just do not know whatr this could be.