From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-04-23 02:16:08 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Little Bandit
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <4870440.1114222568664.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
You wrote:
>I have took it up on myself to give him laxatone and i put
>him on a soft diet til i find out something, when i went and got the papers on
Notice that you do NOT want very soft stools. Those can be the cause of prolapse and they worsen prolapse. So, what you do is figure out why there are soft stools (infection, malignancy, insulinoma, diet, laxatives, IBD, etc.) and you try to stop having soft stools at teh same time as you have a purse string in long enough to take. If that combo doesn't work it may need to be repeated once the soft stools are hopefully corrected. If that doesn't work then a more serious surgical approach can be tried.
See these:
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG1285
From: Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: Wed Mar 14, 2001 11:00pm
Subject: Re: prolapsed rectum please doc help me!
I wrote:
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Sukie Crandall <sukiecrandall@t...>
wrote:
> First off, I am not a vet but am used to prolapses. How bad is it?
> Is it pink? Red? Purple? Slight in size or large? A bad
prolapse
> needs veterinary care, perhaps even a bit tightening with simple
> purse string stitching or sometimes even more correction. If it is
> red (esp. deep red) or purple, or has not gone back in over with
> moisturizing, or if a lot of tissue is involved I think that you
> should immediately contact your vet and speak directly with your
> veterinary professional. If it is mild (pink, small) try
Preparation
> H. If it doesn't go in with that call your vet.
and Dr. Bruce Williams replied:
Good call Sukie. I often put a little cortisone (0.1%) in with the
Preparation H.
I wrote:
>
> Be sure to wet down any food you give the kit to decrease
irritation.
but I was wrong so Dr. Bruce Williams replied:
I'm not sure if it will make any difference. Kibble that is chewed
up is probably no harder on the colon than that which is pre-
moistened.
and here Dr. Bruce Williams explains why soft stools cause prolapses:
The key to prolapse is curing the diarrhea - the colon is straining
to push out stool with no form - there is nothign to push against.
In this case, the diarrhea is probably stress-related. It is
uncommon that a prolapse could occur as the result of a stressful
episode of only 10 hours in duration, but perhaps there was
subclinical diarrhea earlier, and this was the last straw.
Just to be on the safe side, I'd suggest a couple of fecals to make
sure there are no parasites causing the diarrhea (I tend to doubt
it,but it doesn't hurt to check it out.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
Also see this post which further explains how soft stools cause prolapse:
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG1688
Fecal consistency is derived from action of the colon, not the owner.
Moistening the food impacts only on its presentation in the oral cavity. In
the oral cavity, kibble is normally pulverized and mixed with saliva. In
the stomach and intestine, these particles are further digested to form a
slurry, and when it hits the large intestine, it is primarily colored water.
The colon reabsorbs the water to compress the ingesta to a point where it
form normal fecal matter.
Thus, pre-moistened food is of no import when we are discussing diseases of
the colon and rectum.
Yes, at 6-7 weeks, it is past time for her to be on kibble. However, it is
not likely that wet or dry food will have a profound influence on the
prolapse. The prolapse will actually be worsened by the passage of a soft
liquidy stool, as there is nothing for the rectum to push against, so it
will keep straining until it pushes itself out again.
I would certainly recommend a fecal sample in this kit, as well as a bit of
investigative work to find out what it was eating prior to arriving in your
home. Parasites and diet changes are probably the most common causes of
diarrhea in kits.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
and in
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG3202
there is information on how to lubricate the rectum as you help it heal
For her prolapse, you can rinse with cool running water and use a
combination of Preparation H and 0.05 cortisone cream applied
liberally after defecation. I like it better than Vaseline.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP