From:
"Jeff"
Date: 2007-03-10 20:29:15 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Need additional help please with chronic diarrhea/anorexia!
To: <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Two things that I would suggest adding to the daily soup are: Slippery Elm bark powder and acidophilus. We added both to our Neo's soup when we also had to feed him several times daily for the last few months of his life as he fought ulcers and insulinoma.
The slippery elm bark powder soothes and helps to heal most Gastro-intestinal problems, from IBD to ulcers. We added about 1/8 tsp of the powder to each soup feeding. You can get it at most health food stores. They usually sell it in bulk, and it's pretty cheap.
Continued diarrhea and other GI problems could be eliminating the 'good' bacteria from his stomach, particularly if he was on antibiotics for a long time. I used to break up a small portion of an acidophilus tablet in each of Neo's soup feedings. One tablet usually lasted several days, breaking a small amount off each time and grinding it into powder with my fingers. We were able to get Neo's ulcers under control and he maintained good weight and eating and pooping habits up until the day that we had to put him to sleep for the insulinoma. I believe that both the acidiphilus and Slippery elm bark powder helped quite a bit.
Liquid pepto is not good. Contains aspirin. [Moderator note: Pepto doesn't contain aspirin, the active ingredients are bismuth and subsalicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid. Same family, different drug.) We used Pepcid AC tablets, 10 mg, and dissolved them in water. I used to dissolve one tablet in 4.0 ml of water, then administer 0.5 ml of the mix once daily to Neo. That's the equivalent of 1/8 of a tablet. It helped a great deal in keeping him eating well and comfortable.
The other thing to ask your vet about is Carafate (same as Sucralfate). It is given 20-30 minutes before feedings and coats ulcers in the stomach, helping to heal them also, IF ulcers are a suspected problem.
Jeff
----- Original Message -----
From: clfixico
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2007 1:57 AM
Subject: [ferrethealth] Need additional help please with chronic diarrhea/anorexia!
We have been dealing with chronic diarrhea in our ferret, Ben,
for about a year and a half now. During the first few months we
tried a few different things: fecals were negative, little response
to amoxi and metronidazole, some response to initial course of albon
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