From:
autumn whispers
Date: 2009-02-13 16:27:15 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] 6 yr old male ferret, IBD and/or other??
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi,
I have a 6yr old ferret (Boo Boo) who has had 2 bouts of ulcer treatments
over the past few years. He has an enlarged spleen, and his latest xrays
showed, and I'll quote the vet.. "kidneys a little more visible than I
like," "a small dark mass that is not attached to the adrenals," and "his
heart is a little larger than I like, but still normal." He said he even
pulled out a few books to look for a comparison on the heart.
All labs were normal and good.
His colon had 'thicker lining,' which the vet said was inflammation (IBD).
He is on .6 ml of amoxi every 12 hours, 1ml of Activia yogurt (vanilla, full
fat, NOT sugar free) hour after after meds, and pepto bismol every 4-6
hours. The Pepto I doubt he's getting enough of because he fights
vigorously and most of the pepto I give him he flings all over the place...
on me, him, everywhere. I have no idea if he's getting enough, but I'm
afraid to re-dose him. I honestly don't think he's getting enough.
His poo has been off and on somewhat loose, somewhat normal. Lately, about
a week ago, he had a bowel movement that was mucousy and bloody. Showed
some darker/older blood, and pink fresher blood. The dark could be from the
poop sitting a little bit before I found it?
He gets two servings of soupy kibble, morning and night, to supplement his
eating, and it's been this way for a couple years, since his first ulcer.
He had trouble going back to kibble, and still has some trouble eating much
kibble at one time, possible problem chewing, though no dental problems can
be seen to cause this.
This morning while he was eating, his bottom was 'leaking' an orange-colored
liquid/mucous. I didn't notice at first, because I give him his amoxi after
he eats. I scruffed him, gave him his meds, and when I took him back to the
cage (have to block off certaqin rooms before letting them out for the day),
I felt something wet on my arm. I looked at his bottom and he had this wet,
orange, pinkish stuff on his bum and somewhat on his tail. I cleaned him
off and found there was quite a bit. I kept wiping it off, but it seemed to
keep leaking. When I put him back in the cage and started to walk away, I
felt something wet under my foot, and when I looked down there were little
'puddles' of something wet, about 4 or 5. I wiped it up and saw that it was
the same stuff that was coming out of his bottom. At this point I looked at
my shirt and saw where it had gotten on my shirt and 'dribbled' down the
fabric. In the kitchen, on the towel he stands/lays on to eat his soupy
kibble... the orange spot was there.
So it appears that he has no idea this stuff was coming out of him. It's
strange, too, because it began apparently while he was eating, and it got
really bad, then sort of stopped. I haven't checked his bottom in about 15
mins.
Could that dark spot that was near or on, possibly IN his colon have been
some sort of infection or cyst that broke and ran out his bottom?
I'm lost, and I'm waiting for the vet to call back. Boo Boo will most
likely have to be taken back today.
Any help would be great.
I have to pick up a copy of my own labs from my doctor in a few minutes, so
I won't be back on the computer for an hour or so.
Thanks in advance.
Ella
--
......................................................
"It was as if she walked in faded sepia of an old photo, wandering a
colorless, depthless snapshot along an empty street." E. Riddle
"It's how we treat the humblest among us that surely determines the fate of
our soul." -D. Koontz
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/