From:
happypup@comcast.net
Date: 2003-12-26 06:25:23 UTC
Subject: Can anyone give me some help with this please?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1959061.1072419923540.JavaMail.root@indium.smartgroups.com>
Hi! Would appreciate any info and advice. One of my foster ferrets is sick =
and we can't figure out what is wrong.
I notice a couple of weeks ago that she looked kind of skinny and was sleep=
ing more than normal. Then she got kind of crabby and wasn't as interested =
in playing an cuddling as she normally is. Last Friday I gave her some chic=
ken baby food (I'm trying to feed her as much as poosible to fatten her up)=
and she got nauseaus after eating and started drooling and acted very agit=
ated like she clearly did not feel well. It's been up and down since then w=
ith periods of her feeling okay and then episodes of nausea, lethargy and c=
rabbiness. I took her into a very ferret knowledgeable vet on Monday and ha=
d some blood work done. She seems to have an upper respitory infection (sym=
ptoms include congestion, slighlty runny nose and sneezing) and was put on =
3 different types of meds - a nasil decongestant, Baytril and Amoxicillin. =
She did not accept the Baytril at all, so I discontinued that on the advice=
of the vet. She is still having a bad reaction to the Amoxicillin and hate=
s taking it, too and she drools after I give it to her and tries to spit it=
out as much as possible.
She has IBD and is on Imuran and the blood tests indicate that she probably=
is having a IBD flare-up with lipase & globulin levels well above normal.
Oh, and her blood sugar was 83 - slighltly above normal but she could also =
have blood sugar problems and might need to have a 4 hour fast test done.
With these symptoms, what do you think is the most important thing to look =
at? The respitory infection, the IBD flare up or the possibility of insulin=
oma? =
I'm changing her food this week to Walthams duck & rice but have to move sl=
ow on that due to her digestive sensitivity. Her IBD also seems to make it =
really, really hard to give her any meds as she has such a strong reaction =
to them. The meds for IBD supress the immune system which makes her much mo=
re suseptible to infections and that greatly complicates things, too.
Can anyone help with some info or advice, please? I love this little girl s=
o much and I want to do anything I can to help her be healthier and happier=
. When she feels good, she is such a joyful, little being! It is very distr=
essing to me to see her feeling so poorly!
Thanks for any help! Nancy =
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