From:
Melissa
Date: 2003-02-25 16:21:05 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Small poops and coughing
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <20030225162105.93873.qmail@web14403.mail.yahoo.com>
--- nigel.banks@sympatico.ca wrote:
> Monty is a 4 year old foster who has been with us
> for two months. Last week we awoke one night to
> hear the sound of retching. On checking, we saw he
> was in the litter box straining to go and retching
> at the same time.
This is usually because the bowel is having spasms --
the stomach and bowel are so close to eachother, that
strong contractions in one cause strong contractions
in the other...
> In the evening <snip> he gave us an A/D poop. Color
Ok but still small. He was given subQ fluids and left
for the
night.
If the color of the stools is ok, I would not think
that the problem was bacterial or viral.
<Snip> the vet ruled out a full blockage but said it
> could be a partial which would probably work it's
> way out.
This is not likely. What is more likely is that
there's an object bouncing around in his stomach,
occasionally blocking the opening to the intestine.
If he *could* pass it, it would have happened sooner
than a week.
He was syringe fed moderate
> amounts of A/D and also took some treats, kitten
> food. Seemed to be getting better with small but
> reasonable poops.
This is because the soft food can sometimes slip
around the object if given in small amounts and make
its way through the bowel.
> Two days later at 4 am he woke us again with a
> hacking cough that appeared to go away when he was
> given some hairball tonic. > He repeated this again
next night.
The hairball tonic is just a vaseline-based product
that is probably helping to keep the object from
irritating his stomach.
I am *not* a vet, but it is extremely likely that your
ferret has a foreign object in its stomach.
Frequently, these objects do not show up on x-ray (my
Buttons ate a hunk of foam that didn't show up at all
and caused very similar symptoms), and your best bet
is to have the object removed. If it could have fit
through, it would have done so by now. IF you keep
waiting, it could block the opening to the intestines
or wedge into the intestines and cause a perforation
of the bowel -- which usually results in a very
painful death.
I would insist that the vet try to remove the object
surgically, as soon as humanly possible.
Melissa
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