From:
"Susan Liszewski DVM"
Date: 2009-07-27 01:28:57 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Sick Ferret - Looking For Advice
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Other things that come to mind are inflammatory bowel disease, lymphoma, heart issues, possibly even a partial fur ball obstuction. etc. Have you had an x ray done? Even an xray won't help with diagnosing a fur ball but sometime the vet can feel it. If all else fails in this case I would consider exploratory surgery with standby transfusion if he is anemic. If he is anemic and nothing else is isolated your best bet might be to see where from. The stools aren't black so that usu rules out bleeding ulcer. Anemia of chrinic disease is possible but do you know if it is regenerative or not? THe low protein could be from blood loss or protein loss into the gut or lack of food going in. Many possibilities. Good luck hope this helps. Sometimes the surgery to explore just helps us more then anythng else. In a ferret this young I think it would be work it.
If there is a fever consider DIM, other infectious diseases. Again best of luck let us know what happens.
Dr. Sue
TLC First Animal Hospital
Chicago, IL 60631
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Susan Liszewski DVM" <suedvm96@...> wrote:
>
> How old is he and was he tested for insulinoma, even a basic blood glucose? I would be sure this was done and then go from there. Best of luck to you.
>
> Dr Sue
> TLC First Animal Hospital
> Chicago, IL 60631
>
> --- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "ashg2509" <ashg2509@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Everyone [:)] ,
> >
> > I am new to this group. I am posting because I have a very ill ferret
> > and am looking for some advice. I have been to the vet many times and
> > the treatments are not working - he continues to go down hill. I am
> > hoping that perhaps someone on here may have some ideas on what he could
> > have or where to go from here.
> >
> > Victor has been sick for about 2 and a half months now, and continues to
> > get worse no matter what we do. It started off with him sleeping a bit
> > more than usual, green, runny stool and vomiting. The vomiting and green
> > stool stopped after two days, but he still was sleeping a lot and had
> > diarrhea. After a week and a half of this I took him to the vet and a
> > fecal sample was taken and tested and showed a great increase in
> > bacteria, but nothing too unusual. The diagnosis was ECE (even though
> > none of my other 5 ferrets had any of these symptoms and were healthy).
> >
> > Victor was put on an antibiotic mix of Medronidazole and Amoxil for a
> > week. His symptoms seemed to clear up but he was still sleeping a lot.
> > After his week of antibiotics was up he continued to sleep lots wasn't
> > eating much and had severe, liquid diarrhea. After a week he was put on
> > the same antibiotic mix but for two weeks this time. His symptoms again
> > seemed to get better when on the antibiotics, yet he was still sleeping
> > alot.
> >
> > Once he was done his second round of antibiotics, he got worse than ever
> > before. He started sleeping 24/7, stopped eating his dry food, had
> > constant diarrhea and developed ulcers. He had also lost half a pound in
> > just a week, and has absolutely no muscle mass, he's just skin and
> > bones. He was taken to the vet to have blood work done, and the results
> > showed that he was anemic with very low protein levels and a low red
> > blood count. The vet believes he has internal bleeding, but there is no
> > dark stool.
> >
> > He was then put on another antibiotic mix of Clarithromycin and
> > Amoxicillin for two weeks, which he is currently still on. He is being
> > fed canned food mixed with water and Omega 3 fish oil every four hours,
> > and is given sulcralfate a half hour before every meal. He doesn't have
> > diarrhea anymore because I now add pumpkin to his food, but he is thin
> > as can be, is sleeping all the time, he's only up to use the bathroom
> > and eat, that's it!
> >
> > Any advice or ideas on what he could have would be greatly appreciated!!
> >
>
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