Message Number: SG8665 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Sukie Crandall
Date: 2004-05-03 11:13:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] GOMEZ IS HOME!!!!!!
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <ABA4AFAA-9D12-11D8-85E1-000A95CD182C@mac.com>

Has anyone ever had a ferret who was noticeably thirsty repeatedly face
dunk INSTEAD? (He is being helped to get fluids.)

The ferret is a male who had a recent adrenalectomy (his second
complete one, 5 weeks ago), has long standing IBD, and seemed to have a
GI virus complete with palate sore (something on of the humans had a
few days before he broke with it) the last few days with some
improvement beginning yesterday. Listerine on a swab is working very
well on the palate sore (a trick the vet has had us use before for
mouth sores in one whose kidneys were going from cardiac insufficiency
from long term Level 3 heart block).

He is rubbing the bottom of his throat on the carpet.

The big problem before was that it was hard to maintain him with his
meds passing too fast and him getting too dry from runs combined with
only drinking when we helped him do so for a while there, but that
problem seems to have been beaten.

We're asking about the utilization times of Florinef and Prednisolone
and about switching him to Percorten, especially if we can give that
here. This has given us a feeling for the increased risk even his IBD
might pose to him, given medication transit time with diarrhea. Scary.

His vet is away until tomorrow but we got arrangements in place to take
him elsewhere if needed and had them in place for each of the last
several days with two locations. We've also been sleeping in shifts so
he's been kept safe.

He is NOT making any of the noises associated with MegaE, his throat is
not swelling, the things do go down and stay down when swallowed, but
he is avoiding swallowing so there is apparently throat pain and he
seems to have some low grade nausea. The virus also caused those in
humans.

Today we'll be trying steam to see if that increases comfort.

Suggestions? Things that need to be ruled out? Anyone have data on
uptake timing for Florinef and Prednisolone? A little salt is being
supplied to assist in the sodium-potassium balance in case the Florinef
dose utilized is reduced.

(A second ferret is now making sore throat sounds and having some
indications of throat discomfort, but at a much lower level so she
might even just have gotten some dust.)

To: "AmericanFerretAssociation" <AmericanFerretAssociation@yahoogroups.com>,
"ATF" <addictedtoferrets@yahoogroups.com>,
"Addictedtoferrets2" <Addictedtoferrets2@yahoogroups.com>,
"Brenda" <ferretfarm@earthlink.net>,
"Clubmedferrets" <clubmedferrets@yahoogroups.com>,
"FerretsFamilyFun" <FerretsFamilyFun@yahoogroups.com>,
"FML" <ferret-list@cunyvm.cuny.edu>,
"FerretPrayerList" <ferretprayerlist@yahoogroups.com>,
"Fran" <feritfran@aol.com>, "Harry" <harry@kwflatbed.com>,
"Julie" <julie_fossa@yahoo.com>, "Mary" <sirk6@email.msn.com>,
"Ohio_Ferrets" <Ohio_Ferrets@yahoogroups.com>,
"NotheastFerrets" <NortheastFerrets@yahoogroups.com>,
"Sandi" <Fuzzyslave@aol.com>, "bunny" <thehobbitry@cs.com>,
"kat" <ferretlover97@yahoo.com>, ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
From: Anna <amwalker@aceinter.net>
Message-ID: <1623405.1083596609554.JavaMail.nobody@vanadium.smartgroups.com>

Please keep Sabastian in your thoughts and prayers he will be going up to
see [vet name removed by moderator] at 9:00 Tuesday morning to have his spleen
removed.....I hope this
helps him out, he hasnt been doing good he will eat his baby food and get
his ferretone and off to sleep again. He is 6 yrs old and is compleatly
blind.....So please keep him in your prayers that all turnes out well for
him....Thank You....Anna and Sabastian

To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com, addictedtoferrets@yahoogroups.com,
addictedtoferrets2@yahoogroups.com,
AmericanFerretAssociation@yahoogroups.com,
CLUBMEDFERRETS@yahoogroups.com, ferret-talk@yahoogroups.com,
Ferret-Talk2@yahoogroups.com
From: FHbytheSea@aol.com
Message-ID: <11b.31676b47.2dc7833c@aol.com>

In a message dated 5/2/2004 9:51:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
BuffyAS225@aol.com writes:
I picked him up this afternoon.....he looks so pathetic....but now i am torn
on how i feel about his teeth being removed....he still is aggressively
biting(broke skin with his molars on me twice) atleast this time it does not
hurt as
bad and cant do as much damage. The vet thinks that he might have some sort
of brain injury(ihave always suspected it). But still I am going to love
him(the shelter mom said that if i cant deal with the biting still that they
would
take him back) till he crosses over. I am going to put ferritone on me so
that he learns to lick not bite me.
Buffy

I am glad that you have him back. I hope that you can try to break the
behavior problem of biting..and that is why I was so horrified when you told me that
his canines were removed to stop the biting. Removing healthy teeth did
nothing to address his behavior - it just took away from Gomez the ability to eat
normally and gave him unnecessary pain. I am still in shock that a ferret
shelter would recommend this barbaric procedure to break a ferret of biting. I've
never considered that as a method for rehabilitating biters. I use patience,
consistency and positive/negative feedback (bitter apple, vinegar, etc) and have
been successful at modifying biting behavior with ferrets for a long time.

He needs patience. He's been bounced around quite a bit from house to house
and may be unsure. His deafness does not help and may be part of the reason
that he bites. If there is anything that I can do to help you with Gomez, please
don't hesitate to ask.

Lisa Leidig, Head Ferret
Shelter Wench in good standing
The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea"
www.ferrethaven.org