From:
"joclynatuo"
Date: 2008-11-16 09:44:21 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: No idea what's going on here...
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
i would say he has some kind of infection going on. stress can
cause an imbalance in the system and the result is a flare-up of
existing bacteria (as in, the good stuff isn't keeping the bad stuff
in check due to the unusual circumstances/stress).
he could also have developed some form of ibd (very likely since he
already has a chicken allergy). and that wouldn't be as evident as
quickly because he's already on the pred for the other issue.
i'd treat with antibiotics (amoxi and metro or baytril and metro)
and would add carafate if, after the course of antibiotics, the poo
doesn't get much better.
if the poo doesn't improve after the course of meds, then it's
likely it's an ibd issue and using the carafate makes a BIG
difference for them.
i agree that the raw diet should be put aside for the moment - just
in case there is some contamination in it that is causing this
issue.
i would not move to totally ferret kibble - not very high quality as
it has grains in it. also, since you know there's a chicken
allergy, there may also be a grain issue (ibd, ege, etc) so i
wouldn't move to that kibble.
the evo red bites is good - no grains and it's all red meats. evo
also makes canned foods that are 95% meat. the line for dogs has
rabbit, duck, venison, beef and chicken/turkey mixed. the cat line
does not come in rabbit. rabbit is particularly well-tolerated and,
more importantly, they LIKE it.
i would use the evo red bites more and move to either a homemade
gravy (use lamb, turkey, rabbit, duck - either singly or combine a
couple) or the canned evo 95% meat for the balance of the diet.
the a/d is actually okay to use even with its chicken content. it's
highly processed so that results in any chicken allergy issues being
negated. also, they tend to really like it. you can also use 2nd
stage meat/gravy baby food, in a pinch. turkey, veal, beef - i find
it hard to locate so i rarely use it, plus, i always have my 'gravy'
on hand, so i don't really need to use it.
i've not used carnivore care. i've heard a lot of good things about
it until recently. it seems that they made a change to the
ingredients and the ferrets aren't liking it as much as previously.
after treating for infection and when he's definitely recovered,
move back to the usual raw diet you give. if you see the same
symptoms recur, then you'll know it's the food that caused the
problem.
ibd/ege could still be an issue, though, even if it turns out the
food was contaminated.
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