From:
naturabella@stny.rr.com
Date: 2004-12-07 17:25:36 UTC
Subject: Expressing a ferret bladder and Bethanechol
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <8353880.1102440336585.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Hi
I was wondering if anyone has experience with expressing a ferret's bladder or with the drug bethanechol.
My ferret has lost the ability to empty his bladder on his own. He does not have a blockage, we think it might be neurological or he lost tone of the muscles used to contract his bladder(detrusor muscles). His bladder is quite large and sometimes I can express it easily and sometimes I cannot. I have been trying to express him from behind, with some luck.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to easily empty a male ferret's bladder. Sometimes he is too tense and will not let me do it. Plus he is on lasix and it seems to fill very fast so It seems like all I do is squeeze the poor guy.
Also he is on a drug called bethanechol that it supposed to help him contract his bladder. It seems that it will only work at higher doses and he gets very sick from it.
Has anyone had good luck with this drug?