From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-05-08 18:49:40 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: difficulty urinating (continued)
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Sheryl" <miwok34@...> wrote:
>
> Thank you.
> I didn't think Xrays could pick up bladder stones. I'll have to
> call the vets today and ask them if the Xrays reveal anything other
> than the misshapen bladder.
> In case I can't get a hold of the ferret knowledgeable vet how
> would we go about treating bladder stones? Will he just eventually
> excrete them?
>
> Thank you for your help,
>
> Sheryl
>
The x-ray will have show the stone IF there is a large
enough stone to show, rather than widely spaced sludge.
Surgery tends to make sense with stones, especially for
a male with that longer urethra, but removal and flushing
of the bladder really makes sense. Then it is ESSENTIAL to
have the stones analyzed because there are multiple types
a ferret can get, and the approaches for two types (struvite
which is the most common type, and cystine) are opposites
of each other. Calcium oxalate and some other stone types
can also happen in ferrets.
The urine pH also gives good information. The normal pH of
ferret urine is between 6.5 and 7.5. Numbers below 7 are
progressively more and more acidic the lower the numbers
get. Numbers above 7 are progressively more and more
alkaline the higher the numbers get. Ferrets who get struvite
stones (uroliths) have alkaline pH urine and need the animal
protein levels in their diet increased. Ferrets who get cystine
stones have acidic pH (percent of Hydrogen) and need to have
certain amino acids (the building blocks of protein) reduced in
their diets. The easiest way to do this is usually to reduce the
overall protein level in the diet. (Some are beyond that control
and need medications; there is more info in the Archives.)
Passing sludge or small crystals can badly irritate and inflame
the urethra and in a male that inflammation itself can be a cause
of inability to urinate. When that is the case repeated cystos
(removal of urine by needle, which sounds horrible but if one of
our ferrets is typical is actually a great relief) can give the urethra
time to go down.
In male ferrets the most common cause of urinary blockage is
prostate enlargement from uncontrolled adrenal disease NOT
stones.
Couldn't the rounded shape be simply from being over filled? A
bladder diverticulum would look different, more like a pouch.
Blockage can secondarily cause hydronephrosis, a kidney
problem which can be very hard to save a ferret from. If you
want to read the saga of HIlbert who did survive that and what
had to be done for him to make it you can pull those posts up
from when they were posted in real time in the FHL Archives.
There is also information on the types of crystals caused by
melamine laced foods in a post I just sent updating that info.
Here is the address of the FHL archives:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
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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