From:
al.johnston@cox.net
Date: 2006-06-20 01:02:54 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] new sick kit, others now have it.
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
six week history -
Our babies have been having tummy problems since early April. Our primary vet says the history doesn't make since to her, and is currently thinking IBD/PBD. A second vet is leaning toward ECE. The animals have always acted just fine (playing ,eating, etc) but there poo's have been really bizarre and for the past week have been showing frank blood.
To summarize a new (apparently sick) kit was introduced to the group (two other ferrets) which then got sick some 5 and 6 weeks respectivly. At week 9 (nine weeks after introducing the sick kit) all three are showing multiple bloody stools a day but otherwise act like they are fine.
Details:
Starting at the beginning. As of the first of April we had two healthy MF ferrets, a 2.5 yo male (Rascal) and a 3 yo female (Roxy).
On 4/5 we brought a 3 month old little girl home. We had watched here at the pet store for several weeks and had noticed that her stool seem strange. it was abnormally large in diameter for her size, was light tan in color, had a mealy appearance to it, and smelled really bad. She acted fine otherwise so we thought it was just bad quality food, stress, or the like.
We noticed that our older two had transient bad stools approximately 3 days after introduction, but these quickly subsided (within a day).
After two weeks we began monitoring her "output". It seemed to cycle between the above description and close to normal over a 4-5 day cycle. Always getting slowly better, then back to as bad as it ever was.
At approximately 3 weeks (4/29) a fecal of Raven (the new kit) was done and was negative. She was started on Amox, pepcid, and Pepto.
After approximately 4 weeks (5/8) we noticed that someone else had had a "Raven poo". and began monitoring the output of the other two.
On 5/10 we determine that Rascal now has "The Raven poo syndrome". On 5/11 Rascal is put on Amox and Ravens treatment is changed to Amox, Metro, pred, and pepcid. We also go to feeding them a single food (Totally Ferret) with gerber's 2nd stage beef and gravy as a "pre pred" food for Raven. On 5/12 a 2nd fecal "float" is done by a different vet, is negative for coccidia.
On 5/17 Raven has her first red stool. On 5/24 Roxy has a "Raven Poo" (no red or black tar). On 6/1 Rascal has first red stool. On 6/7 Raven has poo that looks like tan raw hamburger (that much brownish-red blood seeping out of the tan/light-brown stool). On 6/8 Roxy has first red stool.
At this point all three are still eating and playing normally... but they are all showing red in there stools and on 6/8 the cycle of 4-5 days where the stool gets better and then crashes back to being "Raven poo" but now with blood.... abruptly changes to each of the three ferrets having multiple bloody stools a day.
At the same time (or slightly before) our primary vet changes the meds to
Roxy : Amox, Baytril, Pepto
Raven : Amox, Baytril, Pepto, Pepcid, Pred
Rascal : Amox, Baytril, Pepto
Up until this point in time Raven had only had 2 poo's that classified as green /yellow slime. She has shown bird-seed often.
Or primary vet is not available and we delay for three days during which time they are all having multiple bloody stools a day. At this point (6/15) we take all of them to a 2nd vet. All check-out okay (including a group 2 day fecal "float" which was neg. for coccidia). Two of the babes may have thickening of the intestinal walls (tentative from tummy poke). Healthy, active, etc. Chloramphenicol proscribed but will have to be ordered from out of state. Meds for each remain unchanged until such time that the shipment arrives.
Finally on 6/19 we notice that the amount of blood in the stools has decrease as has there frequency. All are still having at least one red stool a day at this time.
Current plan is to discontinue the Amox and start the Chlor. when it arrives; and possibly start giving them Barium
The animals have always acted perfectly health, they are active, playful, eat well, and non of them seem to have a clue that they are ill.
Q1: Does this history ring a bell with anyone? It seems to be confusing both of the vets (both of which are ferret knowledgeable) we are seeing.
Q2: What is the best treatment to address the bleeding in the small intestines or Colin that we are seeing? Would Barium be better? We have seen very little (possibly only one) black tar poo, but are seeing some dark red jelly like stools as well as the more frequent "old hamburger" poo (with frank off-red oozing from it).
Q3: Help?
Thanks
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