From:
autumn_whispers2me@yahoo.com
Date: 2005-01-06 19:09:34 UTC
Subject: Boo-Boo's vet visit --- I really need advice
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2369670.1105038574412.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Here's a rundown on Boo-Boo's vet visit. As a recap, he's being treated for ulcers, but he's very sleepy and lethargic, despite gaining weight and eating (still having to hand-feed with a syringe, however):
......
Got to the vet's office yesterday and it was VERY busy, and the reason I mention this is because they didn't do the in-house blood sugar test (more on that in a minute). When we got into the room and the tech weighed him her eyes got big and she just kept looking at the chart and saying "WOW!" Docs came in, sort of saw both a little bit, and here's basically, without being TOO wordy, how it went.
Doc put Boo Boo back on the scale to verify his weight---he's gained 1.5 lbs in two weeks. Took his temperature, at which time Boo Boo was kind enough to give them a stool sample, just in case they needed one (they did). Temperature must have been okay because they mentioned nothing about it.
Dog looked at him, felt his tummy and remarked on his weight again. She asked what we were feeding him then lectured me on "never" giving food with bones or eggshells. I assured her that the chicken gravy we're giving him had neither in it. She was okay with the other ingredients.
She felt his lymph glands and said they were quite enlarged. We told her that the other doc who saw him last time said they were normal and even too small to risk an aspirate. Boo-Boo weighed only 2lbs at the time and the fat pads over/around the glands were hardly there.
They wanted to do bloodwork. We agreed/insisted. They took him for the tests while we waited out front. When the tests came back the other doc, not the one who was with us in the exam room, came out front to let us know what was what.
He told us that they blood work results would not be back in until about Friday noon. He said the aspirate they did on him came back normal (no lymph cancer). Now, here's the part that just doesn't sound right to me, and I would really love to here from you more experienced folks what you think since you've been dealing with fuzzies and vets and illnesses FAR longer than I have:
The doc said...
...he was lethargic because he's gained 1.5 lbs in 2 weeks.
...to finish the antibiotics but that we wont be getting (don't "need") a refill.
...they weren't worried about the ulcers any longer, despite the teeth grinding during meals, especially the meals where he doesn't get carafate before.
...we would not be getting a refill on the carafat either.
...ONLY feed Boo-Boo THREE times a day, waiting 8hrs between feedings. When asked why, he said to slow weight gain and to encourage him to eat on his own. (((he can't potty and get back to his bed on his own!)))
...No, they don't have his blood sugar results now. When asked why (because we were told on the phone those results were available immediately, while the other tests must be sent out), he just said they would wait for all the results to come in.
During the exam Boo Boo was naturally looking around; different place, different noises, etc. When the doc took him to get the aspirate and bloodwork done he, while laughing a little, said, "By the way you made it sound on the phone... well, he looks fine now." This made me angry because ALL Boo Boo was doing was looking around. If he were any more lethargic he'd be unresponsive to any stimuli and darn near comatose. They laughed it off.
No one could tell me why he was so weak that he couldn't get back up to the top of the cage to his bed. No one could tell me why he was still grinding his teeth during feedings---especially the ones without the benefit of carafate. Focus seemed to be on waiting for the test results (which I understand) and cutting back on his eating (which I DO NOT understand), and waiting 8hrs to feed him so he tries to eat on his own. No one could explain why he was sleeping so much and tired so much and weak.
I told them repeatedly that I am no longer force feeding him and haven't had to do that after the first few days on the meds, and that was ONLY to get the minimal in him to keep his strength up.
Now, what keeps reverberating in my mind since last evening is that they're blaming this awful lethargy/weakness on the fact that he's gained 1.5 lbs in 2 weeks. Am I the only one who thinks this is ludicrous? I'm not THAT ferret savvy, but from a human perspective, if you lost so much that you were down to skin and bones, weight gain and more nutrition would make you more energetic and healthier, not the opposite.
They're stopping the antibiotics, which scares the HELL out of me because from what I understand the heliobacter takes about a month of meds to kill. Am I wrong on this understanding? I also know for a fact that starting meds then stopping them for a couple of weeks, then starting them again, and so on will eventually render those antibiotics useless, AND you can develope an intolerance which reacts like an allergy. My youngest went through this and ended up with an intolerance when he was very young because of ear infections that kept coming back. This can happen in animals, can't it? And if the antibiotics are stopped too soon, wont the heliobacter start to flourish again?
Carafate: he still grinds his teeth, and a lot during those feedings where he doesn't get it. Call me crazy, but does it not seem stupid (and cruel) to take away meds that help heal the ulcers, and most importantly, aleviate the pain associated???????
Sorry to repeat myself. I'm just stumped, and a bit perterbed at the moment. one of the vets had an injured hand and she required the assistance from the other doc, so he sort of cut us short and had to go help her with another patient.
this stinks because there's no one else around her who sees ferrets. The other exotic docs see birds, reptiles, etc., but not ferrets. When I called around to find a doc when we first got here, every clinic I called referred me to this other doc.
Feedback anyone???? What now????