From:
pjdutche@email.unc.edu
Date: 2003-02-23 04:55:38 UTC
Subject: RE: Ferret Gasping
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <25509853.1045976138411.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Author wrote:
<< "sucking/gasping/nashing/grinding noise". I have heard this with several ferrets and it has NEVER been a good omen. Dickens has just started doing it and it started 24 hours (today at 16:00 EST) after his surgery. His mouth opens half way, he gets a distant look in his eyes and then his mouth opens and closes a little as he seems to "suck wind" but it is accompanied by a horrible nashing, cartilage grinding sound in his throat.>>
Mike already had one idea...
To me, it sounds a bit like a case of really, really loud tooth grinding. They grind their teeth with abdominal pain, especially gastric ulcers (black tarry poop would be another pointer towards that). That could help explain the mouth opening and closing, the distant look in his eyes (they do seem to go off in space when they grind their teeth sometimes), and in severe cases, it can truly be a loud, horrible noise. Tooth grinding is pretty common in critically ill ferrets.
But it doesn't really originate from the throat, and I don't see how the appearance of sucking in air fits in, so of course I'm not at all sure if that's it. When I've heard it, it's been pretty rhythmic and starts out sounding like "snick snick snick." It can get more long and drawn out and sound crunchier sometimes.
I hope this baby will turn around. Let the group know how it turns out, if you don't mind...
Best wishes,
-Pam S.