From:
Melissa Litwicki
Date: 2002-01-02 16:31:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Green Genital Discharge... E. Coli???!!!
> Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2002 11:02:43 -0000
> From: "chris_lakinni" <ferrets@w...>
> Subject: Re: Green Genital Discharge... E. Coli???!!!
>
> I'm starting to think that was a real bad idea and that I should
> never give them raw stuff again, but taking salmonela and other
> possible problems aside, could this problem from Salma (if it is
> indeed E. coli) have been from some raw meat she ate? Wouldn't she
> presenting some other symptoms like in her poop? Wouldn't the other
> 2 also have it (since they get meat from the same batch)? They sure
> aren't showing any green discharge like the one time from Salma.
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> Message: 3
>
> If if if... if it is E. coli and if it is from eating something (or
> could be dragging her chubby butt on some contaminated poo?) BUT not
> from the raw meat itself but rather from hidden food gone bad... does
> it mean they could STILL eat not-entirely-cooked meat and I just have
> to be much more careful (like feeding them in a smaller room with less
> hiding places) or should I just give up on raw meat altogether?
Chris,
Raw meat should be fine for healthy ferrets, particularly if you've been
feeding it to them for a while. They certainly eat worse things if given
half a chance. :) There are other issues that I want to address here,
however...
First, you are looking for information on what this discharge is, and a
few people have provided suggestions. However, our experiences and
suggestions are NO substitute for a good vet examination, and I suggest
you take Salma in pronto to get her checked out. You can worry all you
want about adrenal or E. coli, but until you get her to a vet, you're just
worrying about possibilities suggested by people you've never met and
who've never examined your ferrets. :)
Second, I would be careful about the ferrets stashing raw meat and leaving
it to eat hours later. If you can prevent them from hiding chunks of raw
meat, please do. :) I feed my ferret raw meat twice a day, but don't give
her any opportunity to run away with it, and that works out just fine.
Last, if it is an infection of some sort, it's quite likely that external
contamination could be the culprit - ie, fecal material in contact with
the vulva. However, E. coli, and other bacteria, is present in lots of
fecal material whether they eat raw meat or not. If this is an infection
(your vet could determine the type by doing a culture), there are many
possible causes - not just raw meat. Even cooked chicken will go rancid
quickly if chewed on by a ferret and hidden somewhere dirty. :)
If you're really concerned, feed them cooked chicken in limited amounts so
that they don't stash it. Keep her clean - the gentle vinegar and warm
water wash on the exterior should suffice temporarily - and get her to a
vet quickly to get this taken care of. In the case of an infection,
antibiotics would clear this up before it got too serious. It is unlikely
that anyone here is going to tell you it's ok to wait until this clears
up, or that it's not harmful and can be left alone. It's an unnatural
condition for the ferret, and so... get her to a vet. :)
Melissa