From:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: 2004-08-22 02:31:34 UTC
Subject: bladder stones
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1e3.287f3fdc.2e595f86@aol.com>
Well this seems to be a recurring post lately so I apologize, but I would
welcome any personal experiences about stones in ferrets. My vets have never
seen it and are giving me that "how do you always get this stuff?" look. Does
anyone have personal theories about ferret stones? Any trends in what diet,
ingredients, or protein/mineral content a ferret was on when it developed them?
I have a 4 yo MF gib whose ultrasound and radiographs clearly show three
stones in the bladder. He is not yet blocked so we are waiting on bloodwork and
urinalysis from the lab and will go from there. The ferret has never had any
significant health problems except vaccine-induced anaphylaxis. He had a CBC,
UA, and radiographs in March of 2004 before a dental prophy., which were WNL
with urine pH of 6.0, and no crystals or stones on x-ray.
I've read through the limited posts on stones from the FHL and other
literature, which mostly point to rare occurances on a poor, high-corn diet. All my
ferrets and cats have eaten Felidae cat food for around 2 years, which I chose
for its limited grains (only rice).
I've also been battling idiopathic ailments in my youngest cat (including
marked amounts of struvite crystals) that I suspect are diet related, and this
week I finally switched the cats to BARF in hopes of relief. Unfortunately, the
ferrets adamantly refuse meat and I would not trust them to be maintained on
it. This all could be coincidence, but I am doubting myself and especially
second-guessing this brand of food and whether my other ferrets are at risk;
but, I don't know what to change them to without knowing what about this food is
causing the problems (or if there is no connection at all). Any comments are
welcome.
My vets are also not sure if the drugs used to dissolve stones in cats/dogs
are safe for use in ferrets?