From:
autumn_whispers2me
Date: 2005-06-03 20:26:59 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] RE: Helicobacter treatment..how long before I notice a change?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2546668.1117838653868.JavaMail.nobody@chromium.smartgroups.com>
Thanks, Dr. Sue. Poor Boo-Boo went the full gamot of tests initially. They did
several blood tests (the lab messed up a couple of times and they had to repeat),
fine needle aspirates (twice) for his lymph glands, stool sample, urine... His labs
were initially WAY out of whack, but at the end everything was pretty much okay.
Initially (back in late NOV/early DEC) he'd lost a lot of weight and was skin and
bones. He panicked at the vet's office when they gave him a few licks of Nutra-
Cal---dooked (not in happiness, I assure you) and clawed frantically and violently at
his mouth. This is what convinced them he had ulcers. They could never find
anything else wrong though. And those initial whacky blood test results even
showed his blood sugar to be extremely elevated, and there were all sorts of
indications that he may have liver disease, kidney disease.... but they kept
repeating the labs to make sure---and it was fine in the end.
His belly and legs get completely soaked when he pees because we have wood
floors (he flatly refuses to use a litterbox lol) and the pee hits his feet, which slide to
the sides and makes him lay in it. I have to clean him up pretty thoroughly after he
goes when he's out of the cage (which has litter in the bottom for him and the
others that don't like using a litterbox).
I guess what I'm saying is that the one thing he's really enthusiastic about is eating.
I feel so bad when I only give him 3 tbsp of chicken gravy----because he would eat
nearly the whole little bowl if I let him. I do give in sometimes (about once or twice
a week) and let him eat until he stops. But I don't do that often because he really is
fat and has a hard time climbing through the funnels tube leading from the main
cage deck to the litter area at the bottom. I worry at night when they're all in the
cage that he'll get stuck in the bottom where there's no food or water. He's still
'just' small enough to squeeze through there.
I've rambled on, and I apologize for that. I guess I don't know what to think at this
point since they did so many tests on him back in nov/dec and determined finally
that it was ulcers and only ulcers.
So worrisome. Not sure what to do.