From:
"Lynn Mac Farlane"
Date: 2004-01-15 17:29:22 UTC
Subject: Regarding yellow, seedy poop--diagnosis
To: "Ferret Health List" <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <LPBBLMGAINDPLIFEALMACECEGAAA.gypsi@atlantic.net>
Sent 3 ferrets to the vet yesterday. One for her Lupron injection, Cody for
dark puddle poop & Charlie for his yellow seedy poop. Charlie & Cody both
had fecals done & the results was that they both have Clostridium. Thinking
about this they all have had this before but I just never thought of it.
Naturally if the 2 tested have it, the other 23 have it.
Joey was given enough Clavamox for 13 ferrets, it was all they had. Plus
even after sending a letter of explanation on each ferret, and writing that
I I didn't want them to have Flagyl prescribed for them as I have enough in
liquid form, & tablet form to last a very long time should I be forced to
give it. I even said that I would NOT give it to them. The vet still
compounded enough for 25 ferrets & Joey had to pay for it.
I know that it will help them recover but for the most part I am the only
one giving these ferrets medicine, asking Joey to help me, I would rather do
it myself anyway. I know other people don't seem to have much of a problem
giving meds like Flagyl to their ferrets, however I do. I have tightly
wrapped them in towels, blankets, etc, I have scruffed I have toweled &
scruffed, I have tried to sneak it in with their wet food, with whipping
cream, with everything I could think of. I have had ferrets fling it all
over the place rather than swallow it. I have had then gag so hard that
they throw up. I have had them fight me so hard that it was impossible to
hold them, plus had 2 that flung themselves so hard they flew out of my
hands & hit the floor quite hard. I have had them hide under things where I
couldn't reach them when they knew they were going to get medication. So
all in all I have made up my mind that I am not giving it to them any more.
With one it was so bad that he didn't want me picking him up for any reason
because he thought he was going be medicated with it & fought me.
Looking Clostridium up on the Internet I found that if an animal gets it
sort of on a regular basis, like at least once yearly, they have a
injection they can get that will help prevent it. Do any of the vets on
this list know about this & can it be given to ferrets & how would the
dosage be adjusted? I would also like to know if this can be transmitted to
ferrets from the poop of exotic birds? With a lot of birds in here, food &
unfortunately poop gets scattered on the floor where the ferrets run. A lot
of the ferrets will get under the cages & eat bird food. Until I can get
another room cleaned out that can be used only for the ferrets, I don't have
any other place for the ferrets play time. With several groups I am doing
what I can. I keep the floors, etc as clean as I can but of course I can't
do it 24 hours a day, so a fur kid is likely to walk through a dab of bird
poop on occasion.
Thank you everyone that wrote with suggestions, I do appreciate it.
Lynn & Clan Poopie War Weasels