Message Number: YG13470 | New FHL Archives Search
From: ferretbabies
Date: 2002-06-02 11:17:00 UTC
Subject: help--sick ferret

5-11-02
Eddie, a 3-year old male in otherwise good health, presented
with a sudden onset of hind end weakness accompanied by
florescent green and watery diarrhea with lethargy and a
generalized quiver. Appetite good. (weight close to 3 pounds in
the winter but visibly drops weight for summer then gains it back
for winter.)

5-11-02
to vet. 2.1 pounds. Urinalysis revealed +3 blood and +3
bilirubin. The only abnormal blood work was ALKP 116 (normal
9-84) and ALT 846 (normal 82-289) He was treated with
Augmentin-10 days- for the cyctitis and an injection of
Prednisone for possible disc problem. Not followed up by oral
Pred due to elevated liver enzymes.

Over the next 8 days activity increased. Appetite remained good,
hydrating well. Green diarrhea remains. Shaking remains.

5-19-02
Appetite as well as activity diminished. Weight dropped to 1.9
pounds. Supplementing with Duck soup and Nutrical. Will only
eat from my hand.

5-23-02
to another vet for second opinion. Fasting glucose still mid
range of normal, ALKP and ALT back to normal. Now the TBIL
AND GLOB are elevated. TP is high range of normal. CREA and
PHOS are low. Blood drawn for ADV test which later came back
negative. Started on Lactulose for 7 days. Appetite still down,
but will take Nutrical. Ate a small piece of banana but threw it up.

5-27-02
appetite poor. refusing regular food, duck soup, nutrical,
ferretone. Is drinking well from my hand.

5-28-02
Back to vets. Added Rx: Metronidazole (Flagyl) (is there
something better than this--he hates it!)

5-29-02
Appetite very poor, refusing Nutrical, ferretone, duck soup.
Eating a few Cherrios (lousy nutrition, but calories).
Drinking well. Hind end weakness visible again especially at
first attempts of movement. Diarrhea unchanged.

6-2-02
Very docile. Looks sad. Took a couple of pieces of regular food
softened with water. Movement is hesitant and jerky. Diarrhea
remains. Appears thinner, wasting. Seems hungry, but when he
tries to eat he does more grinding than eating. When he tries to
walk he lists to one side, hind end weak.