From:
just me
Date: 2002-06-01 14:26:00 UTC
Subject: weight loss
I posted back in April because my 11 month old male's protein levels were a
little off. His albulin(sp ?) level has leveled off, but his globulin level
is still a bit elevated.
We did change his diet from Total Ferret to Iams kitten food to adress the
weight loss. However, Spike is still losing a significant amount of weight.
He was originally a little over 3 pounds, back in early April. He is now
down to 2.19.
He is still very active, almost hyper, with about 3 hours of play outside
the cage daily. He drinks a normal amount. Stools vary - somedays normal,
others small and a little soft.
Spike just isn't eating. He nibbles, but doesn't really eat. I've begun
feeding him meat baby food by hand to make sure he is getting something and
he gets about a 1/2 teaspoon daily of ferretvite.
Our vet wants to do a biopsy to test for some kind of intestinal problem,
but I am very leery of any kind of surgery.
Is there anything other alternative? Spike already tested negative for ADV.
The only other information I have that may be unrelated is that Spike has
had a serious earmite problem since I got him in Oct. He's been treated
continuously. They go away and come back. The odd thing is, his cagemate is
fine with no mites since Nov., and the cats don't have them either.
One of my cats did have giardia last year, but that was before I got the
ferrets.
Both he and Buffy, his cagemate, had green, seedy poops when I first got
them. I've dealt with ECE before, so I kept an eye on them and their eating
habits. Spike gained almost a pound within the first 4-6 weeks that I had
him. The greenies went away, but they occasionally have a green or seedy
stool. Could this be the culprit? If it probably is, is surgery the best
option?
I will do surgery if it is the best option, but I'd rather avoid it.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!