From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-12-24 19:59:34 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Extreme Lethargy
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Holly,
I strongly doubt that is just shelter shock. This ferret has had chronic lethargy for an
extended period and then had an acute episode. It improves with regular eating. I
suspect the problem rests in the pancreas: insulinoma or diabetes (or even one of the
more rare problems) because if it were the heart then you would not find the
improvement with food.
Before treating it is important that the vet do blood work. With sugar control problems
sometimes things don't show up acutely until there is an added stress.
Of course, there are other possibilities, but if I had to say what is at the top of my list
(though I am not a vet) it would be undiagnosed early insulinoma that currently responds
well to frequent high protein meals. Continue the frequent high protein meals and place
a call to your vet's emergency number asking for a call back.
If possible use finger feeding instead of syringe feeding to avoid the risk of aspiration
pneumonia. If not, then if you are used to syringe feeding safely you know what you are
doing, but those who are not should learn from a vet or vet tech hands-on before trying
it. If in a pinch, there is info on an assortment of ways to feeding sick ferrets in an
assortment of posts in
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
and a helpful article in
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
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