From:
cakelady@goeaston.net
Date: 2004-06-15 01:56:19 UTC
Subject: need help for snapple
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2478248.1087264579308.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
right before Christmas I took in a group of five ferrets.I already had thre=
e one of which was an extremely aggresive guy.The alpha male of the group, =
Snapple, would fight like crazy with the bully. I let them dook it out for =
a couple of months hoping they would bond, but it never happened. I tried t=
o keep them apart but they would always find ways to get to each other and =
start fighting.About a month ago Snapple started acting different. He would=
stay in cage alot stopped playing with the others and generally seemed les=
s happy.This progressed over the next week to grinding his teeth and mucous=
y stools.These turned green within a few days and the grinding increased.We=
nt to the vets for geriatric ferret, bloodwork and urine and x ray.Tests ca=
me back normal. But he was dehydrated .Vet gave him cephalexin.I Start feed=
ing him baby food with all the trimmings {I read the recipes online }He is =
not happy about any of this.He hates the meds and he doesn't want to eat,I =
have to force the foods into his mouth and give sub q fluids and all he doe=
s is grind his teeth.He has lost half of his weight and does nothing but sl=
eep or lay with his eyes open. I feel he is very depressed.I called the vet=
and told him that he was not responding to meds and treatment, so he puts =
him on ampicillian,biaxin and carafate. It's been 10 days and he continues =
to get worse. He doesn't want to eat,the only way I can get food into him i=
s to scruff him and when I pick him up he just starts to grind so hard.I lo=
ok in his little eyes and all I see is pain and it is making Me sick.My big=
problem is that I work 10 to 12 hours a day so this is a problem with smal=
l feedings and a regular routine.His stomach is not distended in fact he is=
so thinyou can feel every bone. He really acts like he doesn't want to get=
better. I have seperated the groups by dividing my house in half and keepi=
ng the bully from getting to him . I don't know what else to do to turn thi=
s around. His stools have not been normal for over a month now, andthey are=
still flat,seedy and change from green to gray to beige,but never getting =
firm. I am treating this as helicobacter but could it be something else?{ H=
e has not had ANY bloody or dark tarry stools.}
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