Message Number: YG12688 | New FHL Archives Search
From: renee_rider
Date: 2002-04-22 16:32:00 UTC
Subject: Need reccomendation on what to do now... was: lethargy and
lymphocyte question

Hello. I wrote in on Saturday after taking my ferret, Koto, to the
emergency vet (lethargy and lymphocyte question).

I took her to the vet today. The vet we saw is trying to contact
the other vet, who will be in on Thursday, and I've written email
also. But, in the mean time, I've got questions, and need
reccomendations on what to do now.

Basically, she is still lethargic and her belly is full of fluid,
with lymphocytes. She isn't drinking on her own. So, I'm forcing
water on her. I've been using a syring and tricking it between her
teeth, and she swallows it. What is a good amount? I read 5MLs 4
times a day. Is that right? She is eating a duck soup on her own.
She is going to the bathroom regularly, but it is still fairly
thin. At the beginning, before her belly filled up with fluid, we
saw the thin stool and gave her on petromalt a couple times during
the day. Since taking her to the emergency vet, we stopped that.
Could her stools be thin just because of the pressure all of the
fluid and spleen are putting on everything in there?

We still don't know what is wrong with her. The x-ray isn't clear
because her spleen is huge and with all the fluid you can't see
anything. One possibility is that there is a mass in there
somewhere. One suggestion is an ultra-sound, the other is an
exploratory surgery. Any recommendations?

Humbug. Of 6 ferrets, 2 died in the past month (unrelated causes),
and now we just can't figure out what is wrong with her. Although
she is a foster and I've only had her for a year, she is the
sweetest ferret I've had the pleasure of knowing.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,
Renee

--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "renee_rider" <renee_rider@y...>
wrote:
> I took my ferret, Koto, to the emergency vet tonight because she
has
> been very lethargic the past couple of days. Today, she had two
> poops. One was very small, black, and hard. The other was light
> brown and very watery; it was a little while after I gave her
> petromalt because I thought she might have a furball. Her stomach
> felt hard to me tonight so I called my vet, whose answering
machine
> referred me to the emeergency vet.