Message Number: YG13719 | New FHL Archives Search
From: crazydooker
Date: 2002-06-10 07:51:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Ferrets Not Getting Better: Seek advice of Vets and
experienced others

Hi Judy,

--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "russians_mom" <Outlaw50@a...> wrote:
> I hate to sound like Aleutian disease is all I can talk about, but
> have you had them tested?

Yeah, everyone in the house has been tested, all are negative. The
two that are sick, Patches and Grunt, have been tested 3 and 5 times,
respectively, always negative. Everyone in the house has been tested
at least twice (show ferrets more often per requirements). There have
been no new ferrets coming in (visitors or new additions) in a year,
either, so it's pretty unlikely.

>
> Have you had any blood work done on them?

Unfortunately, no - the vet diagnosed based on symptoms, and I had to
agree with her at the time - it just seemed like a bout of a normal
tummy bug. Patches is going back in tonight and this time she will
have a full CBC done as well as anything else she needs.


>
> It also could be IBD.

I've been reading everything I could all weekend about every ailment
known to man, and I've been writing to Sukie, who has been soooo
helpful, and I'm afraid I'm pretty sure this is what I'm dealing
with. I just read the Ferrets article about an hour ago and it's just
the only thing I've read that really is 'right on' with what I'm
dealing with. Lisa's story of Noobie gave me hope (though the end was
so sad...) because like Noobie, Patches will NOT eat anything unless
it comes from my hand, from a syringe. That means the hours I'm at
work, she gets no food. There's nothing I can do about that, so my
highest priority is to get her back to eating *anything* voluntarily.

It sounds like L'il Grunt may also be suffering from IBD, but in the
earlier stages - he gets better, gets worse, gets better, gets worse,
over the past year. But Patches - she's so bad off. Skin and bones,
despite how much I'm feeding her. There is nothing to her. This is
heartbreaking.

Sorry for rambling... but thank you very much for your suggestions.
Hopefully we'll learn more at the vet tonight......

Kym