From:
"Sue Liszewski"
Date: 2003-12-27 07:36:40 UTC
Subject: RE: [ferrethealth] Can anyone give me some help with this please?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <LAW12-F13GsvLPUzqzj00007114@hotmail.com>
I would do the x ray maybe even with Barium to at least coat her
gastrointestinal tract. You do need to get the respiratory infection under
control, since it is hard to medicate her with orals I would ask your vet
about teaching you how to give injectable antibiotics that would allow you
to get it down. Unfortunately the pharmacists say that antibiotic molecules
are to be to make transdermals. Once she can breathe better her appetite
should improve if it is down just because of the congestion. There could be
more going on now such as a fur ball in the stomach, a gastric ulcer,
heliobactor, etc. I don't know how long ago the IBD was diagnosed but if
you focus too much on a previous diagnosise and assume all signs are related
you could miss something. Was the IBD diagnosed with biopsies of the
intestine? If the the treatment for the IBD is not working then perhaps
there is something else brewing. I have seen ferrets like this with a fur
ball that caused them to lose half thir body weight, I have also seen them
misdiagnosed as ferret wasting syndrome, so be sure it is ruled totally out.
The x ray with the Barium will help, and the barium will also act
therapeutically to coat the entire tract, esophagus dowm to colon. Find
some other answers, after you get the respiratory infection under control.
By the way another diet I have used for IBD is IVD's Select care Neutral
which comes in a dry only formula, but I have soaked it and pureeed it in
the blender mixing it with a few other things to help perk up the taste,
when they are sick. Good Luck.
Dr. Sue
>From: happypup@comcast.net
>Reply-To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>Subject: [ferrethealth] Can anyone give me some help with this please?
>Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 06:25:23 +0000 (GMT)
>
>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
>sleeping 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 chicken 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 agitated like she clearly did not feel well. It's been up and
>down since then with periods of her feeling okay and then episodes of
>nausea, lethargy and crabbiness. I took her into a very ferret
>knowledgeable vet on Monday and had some blood work done. She seems to have
>an upper respitory infection (symptoms 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 hates 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
>insulinoma?
>
>I'm changing her food this week to Walthams duck & rice but have to move
>slow 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 more suseptible to infections and that greatly complicates things,
>too.
>
>Can anyone help with some info or advice, please? I love this little girl
>so 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 distressing to me to see her feeling so poorly!
>
>Thanks for any help! Nancy
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
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>
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