From:
Nicole Chipman
Date: 2002-02-18 16:08:01 UTC
Subject: Very concerned about weight--someone please respond
Hi Keldah. Regarding your skinny friend, I have seen that a few times. I
have 36 ferrets (Shelter) and have witnessed lots of weight changes.
Sometimes it's seasonal (they can lose a lot of weight in the spring) and
sometimes it's medically related.
My first ferret, William T., experienced dramatic weight loss - about 50% or
more of his body weight was shed in about 4 months. He, unfortunately, had
some kind of kidney disease. We could actually feel his enlarged kidneys
when palpating his abdomen. The other, obvious, sign of this disease was
his excessive thirst. An x-ray showed deformation in his kidneys, but he
died before the vet could figure out what to do about it. He was only 2 1/2
years old and weighed well under a pound.
Now I have another ferret who is losing lots of weight too quickly. In
feeling his stomach, he seems to have a hard egg shaped "lump" right about
where the kidney would be (I am NOT a vet). He, too, seems very thirsty.
Of course, he has a date with the vet.
Also, as I'm sure you are aware, most cancers are associated with
unexplained weight loss. Did you say you had blood work done?
Nicole
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Message: 8
From: "keldah_99" <keldah99@y...>