From:
scott1ct@yahoo.com
Date: 2005-05-16 17:52:15 UTC
Subject: ferret wasting-doctors unable to diagnose
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <261814.1116265935526.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
I have a 7 year old male who has had a rough year. In jan he had a bad case of helicobacter that was successfully treated, then went through 8 weeks of being unable to eat solid food without regurgitating(believe that was ulcer related). He was fine for a few weeks after that then began having bad diarrhea and was losing weight rapidly. Had him on baby food again and he seemed to eat a little bit of solid food but was mostly just breaking apart the pieces having problems eating them. One vet found some yeast in his stool and put him on ketoconizole which nearly killed him where he stopped eating altogether. Took him off that and went to probiotics.
Recently went to a different vet who switched his food to marshall farms which was softer and easier to eat and supplemented with carnivore care. She had me stop the probiotics. Tests still showed some yeast but she believes it is secondary to the true problem. Lymphnodes felt fine and she didn't feel any masses in him...He has now solid dark stool eating the new food but seems to still be losing weight and is even more lethargic. He won't even sit still for baby food or carnivore care now and we have to fight to get 10cc's in him periodicallu. He is very wobbly when he wakes up and drags his behind a little more now than before.
His last bloodwork in january showed glucose at 95 so insulinoma was not diagnosed but it was not a definite fasting test as i had no idea when he ate before the test. He grinds his teeth when he eats solid food so definately some abdominal distress.
Both of my vets are perplexed and so am I. I don't know what to do really and it is killing me to see him struggle so much.
I tried to describe everything that has been going on hoping someone can help. Any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated.
-scott and frantic