From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-04-13 17:18:44 UTC
Subject: RE: fecal yeast & diarrhea
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <8371510.1113412724271.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Moscha, we have used yogurt with live cultures for a few ferrets who had to have very long runs of antibiotics and have had excellent results with it ending the diarrhea in a number of them if they did not also have IBD. They varied on what flavors they liked.
We also had one who had a terrible vaginal infection during a time when our vet was away (with surgery already scheduled on his return). This was back when there simply weren't vets around. The Lactobacilis which is in yogurt is found in many places normally, including being a healthy and normal vaginal native (all of us in all of our four and two footed glory also carry around a pile of passengers from microscopic mites to a number of bacteria that are normal and desired), so putting some plain yogurt in the vagina is a very old -- and often very effective approach to returning the area's flora to more normal proportions. So, we tried that for her. In her case, within just days, before the vet's return, the infection was cleared up. Results will vary, of course, and I have to tell you that it needs to be introdcued carefully and the ferret will NOT appreciate it at the time.
So, yes, yogurt with live cultures from our experience has its uses, and it might be worth discussing giving some as a treat with the treating vet to see if this ferret with diarrhea might benefit (Always clear such things with the vet FIRST; there may be counter-indications or medical conflicts which prevent use.), because even though it has been said that ferrets pass food too rapidly to use as strong a symbiosis with bacteria for obtainiing nutrients as we humans do, they certainly normally have bacteria in the feces so there could be some degree of symbiosis and a population balance which might be useful to maintain. That is just written as a non-vet who has gotten some good results with it over the decades.
BTW, from the writings of Dr. Bruce Williams the amount of yeast doesn't really matter, but MAYBE the amount of something else in the intestinal flora which might be currently in too low amounts might....
Oh, there was part of the site on Bacteroides which was a wake-up call for how very much helpful bacteria help humans digest and free nutrients for absorbing:
>In fact Bacteroides are one of the most
>numerous of the intestinal bugs and we
>get to see a great many everyday as
>about 30 % of what comes out of the
>intestine is bacteria!
That is for humans, but if you read past posts on fecals that Dr. Bruce Williams has written which are in the FHL Archives he repeatedly points out that seeing decent bit of bacteria in ferret feces is normal.