From:
jenna_patton
Date: 2002-04-16 14:35:00 UTC
Subject: ECE symptom
At Christmas, my husband and I brought home a new baby ferret, and
while she wasn't exhibiting signs of the virus, she was a carrier,
and a week later my other ferret, Elvis, started having neon green
stools. I took him to the vet, and he was put on Amoxicilin and
Metoclopramide syrup. His symptoms subsided, and everything seemed
to return to normal. Elvis is 3 years old, and otherwise healthy,
but about one month later, he started having multicolored birdseed
stools. I first though it was because he was eating my parrot's food
that gets dropped on the floor (this food colors my bird's stools
too), but I just read Dr. Williams' article on IBD in the May/June
issue of "Ferrets", and became worried. The odd thing about Elvis,
though, is that he has not lost an ounce in all this time - in fact,
I am sure he has recently gained quite a bit of weight, and he always
seems hungry. My new ferret, Marilyn, only eats to get full, but
Elvis is obsessed with food and always seems to eat until his bowl is
empty.
So my question is, is the birdseed stool always only associated with
ECE, and weight loss, or are there other causes for it?
Thank you so much any help you can give me.