From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-01-22 22:17:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Need Advice
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "phillip_tonya2000"
<phillip_tonya2000@y...> wrote:
> At this time she was still eating good and her poops where normal.
> On Friday, Jan. 18 I noticed that her poops where very small and
> thin, I called my vet asap, and they said to continue with the
> ferretlax, and the fact that there was no vomit and she was eating
> was a good sign.
> The poops remained the same all weekend and she refused to eat this
> morning. I took her to the vet this afternoon.
> My vet felt a mass in her belly so they did xrays. There was no
sign
> of the feathers but there was a mass of some sort. My vet said
that
> he believed she had inflammtion in her bowels. He also said that
its
> mostly likely the reason she stopped eating dry food. He didn't
want
> to say for sure what it was, he said that its hard to tell and
wants
> me to call often with updates. He put her on amoxi drops, twice a
> day, and told me to keep her on ferretlax. He also couldn't tell
me
> if my other ferret could get it.
>
> A friend suggested I post about this, she has years of experience
> with ferrets and thought I should ask the vets here, I hope someone
> will respond to this message.
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "phillip_tonya2000"
<phillip_tonya2000@y...> wrote:
> The poops remained the same all weekend and she refused to eat this
> morning. I took her to the vet this afternoon.
> My vet felt a mass in her belly so they did xrays. There was no
sign
> of the feathers but there was a mass of some sort. My vet said
that
> he believed she had inflammtion in her bowels. He also said that
its
> mostly likely the reason she stopped eating dry food. He didn't
want
> to say for sure what it was, he said that its hard to tell and
wants
> me to call often with updates. He put her on amoxi drops, twice a
> day, and told me to keep her on ferretlax.
Dear Tonya:
Did your vet mention the possibility of doing surgery to see if there
is a blockage (feathers are not very digestible) or to investigate
the possibility of that mass in the abdomen? How about any other
type of diagnostic test, such as an ultrasound?
There is a syndrome known to all on the FHL as inflammatory bowel
disease, wheich may be what your vet is thinking about - but this is
diagnoseable only by a biopsy.
I believe that with a ferret with thin diminished poops, a marked
change in appetite and a suspected mass or foreign body in the
abdomen, I would quite soon be more aggessive and start thinking
about opening this ferret up. I would much rather explore early than
wait until the signs continue to worsen.
Perhaps on your next update you can discuss this possibility with
your vet.
wiht kindest regards,
bruce williams, dVM