From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2006-10-28 15:45:41 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] IBD Protocol
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Author wrote:
> My girl takes pediapred and I feed her a soup I make myself. She is
> completely off kibble. Her IBD seems to be under control. Hope that helps.
> Inge
One thing that anyone notices after a bit of reading on IBD is that it varies widely. It is something of a catch-all for things that fit no where else and that may be one reason.
It is exceedingly individual, and the degree of illness varies among individuals to a startling degree no matter what advice is followed. Some simply are far, far, far sicker than others and nothing particularly seems to change that. In humans there have been several genetic components which have pronounced effects on degrees of intestinal inflammation so some individuals have their genes working against them very strongly once anything gets the inflammation going, and perhaps that is also true for ferrets. In humans just this week a genetic route to overriding one of those bad genetic components for GI inflammation was announced and hopes are that by showing how to tackle part of the problem more effectively it could eventually lead to new classes of medication.
Multiple vets have implicated infections as the start of the inflammation.
The ones with the worst cases tend often to need their treatments to change over time; what works for a while eventually fails.
A number can't eat any chicken. Some can't eat any poultry at all. At least two of whom I have read could not eat beef, though that is far more rare than not tolerating poultry. One couldn't deal with lamb. Some improve with added fiber or starch sources, but some worsen, others improve only temporarily but suffer no ill effects. Some can add weight with heavy cream while other worsen and even crash with it. In such cases there may be food intolerance or allergy.
Some seem to be very vulnerable to any GI infections and need added protection from anything which may increase risk.
Some do best when some antibiotics are part of their routine.
Steroids are an essential for many.
Imuran, a chemo drug, is a stronger way, yet, to reduce the inflammation by reducing this effect of the immune system.
Basically, IBD requires at this point in time one heck of a lot of trial and error if a person is dealing with a serious case, and that continues throughout the course of the illness.
Those whose ferrets are more responsive are truly fortunate, and anyone who has had a ferret for whom no treatment worked long term will always be happy to hear of a more pliant case, but it always makes sense to remember the caution about the wide variation.
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