From:
williamsdvm@comcast.net
Date: 2003-01-15 03:25:58 UTC
Subject: RE: Need help...Bandit is going down hill
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <13297704.1042601158061.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Author wrote:
> pergo floor, his back legs slip, this is something fairly new, my little guy
> Fiefal doesn't slip on these floors. Could it be his weight or is it just a
> sign that his B/G is too low!!
Well, you can't tell until you take the BG, but if you are overweight and have diminished muscle mass, it's tough to walk across a slippery surface!
I started him on the
> clavamox, to help if it's periodontal disease- ?? does this antibiotic
> decrease their appetites, cause his seems poor since or around the time we
> started the med.- I have also changed his diet instead of just babyfood, I
> got him to eat it in a soup I make up with the "cats light formula of Science
> Diet- cause my vet felt he was getting too much protein and fat from the
> babyfood.
Well, any form of amoxi can cause decreased appetite in about 10% of cases, so that's a definite possibility. But a dietary change may also be causing the drop in appetite. Baby food doesn't have too much protein, so if he was eating that pretty well, perhaps we can go back to what he was eating.
> I had a problem with him not drinking water, and I noticed when our Christmas
> tree was up he would drink from the stand where the water was??? Now that
> the tree is gone he again doesn't drink, but I spray water with 02 in it to
> help clean his mouth after he eats.
Mild dehydration may also contribute to the lethargy that you are seeing. it is often difficult to get a lot of water into a ferret, - hand feeding is the best way to do it and on a frequent basis. I think I have a trick or two on my wegb site under "Feeding the Ill Ferret." It might necessitate subcutaneous fluid administration.
> His breathing was heavy this morning, so I gave him Theophyline??? to help
> open his air ways and put him in his cage with a humidifier.
Theophylline - prescribed by your vet from a previous episode?
> I'm not sure what more I can do, can anyone offer any advice- I'm afraid to
> switch his pred to proglycem because what if it doesn't work...I'm not sure
> if his pred needs to be increased because the thing with his legs now, but
> the pred is making him fatter.
Don't switch the pred to the proglycem - add in the proglycem, and perhaps you can reduce the prednisone dosage - but a switch is fairly well guaranteed to be a problem.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM