From:
"Sue Liszewski"
Date: 2003-10-08 18:32:37 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Opinions on Ulcers?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <Law12-F78BdxkiiZIHd00026ae6@hotmail.com>
I also use Pepto-Bismol for these guys in addition to Flagyl and a form of
Amoxi, this seems to help. From what you describe I have to wonder if your
kid doesn't have a fur ball in the his stomach. I have seen these guys go
back and forth like this, lose weight (sometimes as much as half their body
mass). I have seen fur ball diagnoses missed quite frequently. The fur
looks like whole mice and are very dense and often take up half the volume
of the stomach. I can usu see them on x-ray and sometimes I can feel them.
I have given barium as well to hlep coat as well as differentiate if there
is something not moving out of the stomach. Sometimes these ferrets also
act like ferrets with insulinoma because they cannot eat well enought to
maintain their blood sugar levels. This may be why the one vet wanted to
explore your kid. I know it is risky and scary but if it bothers you have an
ultrasound done or the barium first. If all that is needed is a gastrotomy
these guys do very well and put weight back on etc. I have seen ferrets
with fur balls that other vets said the ferret had ferret wasting syndrone,
we took care of the fur ball and there was no more wasting. I hope this
helps and that you have the opportunity to investigate this further.
Susan Liszewski DVM
>From: jcgibs02@hotmail.com
>Reply-To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>Subject: [ferrethealth] Opinions on Ulcers?
>Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 16:18:05 +0100 (BST)
>
>Please respond
>
>Our ferret, Miles, is a 4 year old ferret that has had a terrible time with
>his ulcer lately. He has been to a ferret specialist (vet A) and a cat,
>dog, horse local vet (vet B).
>
>This is his 2nd ulcer attack in 2 years.
>
>The first attack - the vet A prescribed amoxicillin with metronidazole and
>it cleared his diarrhea and ulcer symptoms. Vet A also wants to do a bowel
>exploratory surgery to make sure that it is helico bacteria causing the
>problem. I am not comfortable with this decision at all. I would rather
>medicate then fillet open a 1.5 lbs. ferret and hope for the best.
>
>From that point on he has had several diarrhea episodes that last no more
>than a day.
>
>In the past few weeks though, Miles has had tarry stools from a 2nd ulcer
>attack. We took him to our local vet (vet B) who placed Miles on Carafate
>and Prilosec, which has healed the tarry stool but not the diarrhea. Miles
>has lost a significant amount of body mass but still eats so long as I
>finger feed him baby food and ensure.
>
>Yesterday, I ask the vet B if we could place Miles on Clarithromycin and he
>stated that the drugs side effects are upset stomach and diarrhea so we
>decided not to take this course of action. I asked him what else we could
>try. He states, You might want to put Miles to sleep since this seems to
>be a chronic episode and he is not responding to the carafate and
>prilosec. I thought to myself BS!
>
>So, I convinced the vet that I would like to see if he would refill the
>amoxicillin with metronidazole that vet A had prescribed in attack 1 since
>it seems to clear up the problem previously in the first attack. He did and
>now I am left here asking you what to do next?
>
>Any opinions?
>
>I gave my vet the following research article abstracts.
>
>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list
>uids=10791942&dopt=Abstract
>
>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list
>uids=8931416&dopt=Abstract
>
>This event in our babys life is giving me a ulcer. What can I take?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
>If you want to share pictures, use the calendar, or start a vote
>visit http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
>
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