From:
williamsb@comcast.net
Date: 2002-11-18 18:40:42 UTC
Subject: RE: Feeding - help needed fast
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <17055781.1037644842070.JavaMail.root@scandium>
> You might remember I wrote before about Herc (5 year old male) with IBD. We've been treating this for about a month. He's currently on Carafate (for 3 weeks) and Pred (about 4 mg/day in two doses). He had a 2 week run with Amoxicillin which he finished about a week ago. He had black tarry stools but those cleared up on carafate.
Dear Linda: while the bleeding of the ulcers may have improved with carafate, ulcers of that severity often linger long after the gross appearance of digested blood is gone. Also remember that the hefty dose of prednisone which you are giving is a retardant to healing, so ulcer recovery in these patients can be prolonged.
> His diarrhea had stopped and he was doing better - although he had a poor appetite and wasn't gaining weight. Then suddenly two days ago he started with green, slimey diarrhea again and has ZERO appetite. I ended up having to give him SQ fluids (60cc total in 2 divided doses) last night.
That's always a good idea - anorexic ferrets even without diarrhea are often dehydrated as well.
> His stools are now at the yellow seedy stage with some liquid in them but I've been able to force enough fluids into him that I haven't had to give him SQ fluids again. (He had two very tarry stools in the midst of this but only two.)
so he had some significant bleeding in the stomach. The blood may be gone but the ulcers are definitely still there. I would re-institute the carafate again prior to meals.
> However... he has VERY bad muscle tone and I am physically forcing him to eat anything. And I mean forcing. He clamps his jaw and turns his head away when I offer him anything.
> We've tried all the online "soups" and nothing works, he refuses them all. The only thing I could get down him was an old favorite of his - a raw egg. I'm not even sure if this is good for him but at this point if he'll eat it, I'll supply it. Over a 2 hr period he took most of a whole egg (beaten up) which is 35cc.
> Questions:
> 1 - Would yogurt hurt him? I was thinking the acidopholis in it would help. He did like it in the past when he sampled it.
Yogurt generally won't hurt, but acidophilus is not normal flora of the ferret intestine so I wouldn't hope for any magic.
> 2 - Would alfalfa hurt? I have given that to dogs with bad bellies - it soothes the gut and is supposed to help prevent ulcers.
It depends on the formulation, but alfalfa is likely just fiber and ferrets don't do well with that. I'd probably skip it.
> 3 - Is the raw egg (served fresh, I don't leave it sitting around) bad for him in any fashion?
Well, raw eggs can transmit salmonella, but that's pretty rare (make sure the shell is clean) and if it is all he'll eat, it is a good source of protein. Let's do it.
> 4 - Does anyone have ANY ideas? Is this normal for IBD (ie getting bad again) or is this a really bad sign?
IBD waxes and wanes in response to stress, and I don't think you really ever cleared up the ulcers...
> 5 - Is 4mg/per day on Pred about what others have used long term for IBD?
That may be a bit much - it depends on his weight. I usually recommend 0.5 - 1 mg/lb once a day.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM