From:
"Tressie"
Date: 2008-08-23 11:25:56 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re:UTI possible stones??
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Okay I am trying to get this straight in my head - normal ph levels
for ferrets are 6.5 - 7.5 UNLESS they are on a high protein diet in
which case the normal ph range should be 5-6? Is that right?
In Sampson's case I know from his original owner that he was fed
cheap cat food and fruit loops (horrors!)since he was a kit (at
present 3 yrs old). Now he's been on a high protein diet since
August 1st and so his ph levels should be in the 5-6 range? And that
means 7 is still too high for him? Other than continuing with the
high protein diet is there anything I can give him that would acidify
his urine more?
He is passing the struvite uroliths as per the photo I posted
yesterday.
Your insight Sukie that " the swollen bladder presses
against the colon, not letting the bowels pass feces." made sense of
the fact that when I rushed him to the Emergency Vet Clinic - he was
having trouble passing stool as well as urine. I wasn't sure whether
he was having a delayed Distemper vaccine reaction, possible blockage
or obstruction.
The x-rays confirmed he did not have an obstruction, however, they
did not show a swollen bladder either. I have to conclude it was
swollen enough to cause him a problem with passing stool and he
probably had some uroliths, not large enough to appear on x-rays, but
large enough to cause pain as they passed through the plumbing. He
was in agony. The urinalysis did not find any crystals.
The diagnosis was UTI. However, now that he's passing the urolith
sludge my initial suspicion that he had struvite uroliths was correct
even though nothing appeared on the x-rays, or in the urinalysis and
the UTI probably resulted from the struvite uroliths.
Lesson for others in this - just because uroliths do not appear on an
x-ray or do not show up via urinalysis, does not mean the ferret does
not have any - only that they are too small to be detected. Why they
didn't show up in the urinalysis I would guess is because with the
high protein diet there are no new crystals forming. That is, what
he has are already formed into tiny fragments that don't pass out
each time he urinates. Recall he's been on a rotten diet for most of
his life.
Lesson for me - history is as important as current status and trust
one's intuition.
Tressie
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