From:
"Tressie"
Date: 2010-06-13 18:22:56 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: ECE Recovery
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi Mike,
Sorry to know you are dealing with this miserable illness.
Looks like you have received some excellent advice so far.
I personally have not had a ferret with ECE but did help out someone who had three ferrets infected with it. From what I was able to find out from extensive research is that symptoms come and go for up to a year. And the little guy is infectious when you have an acute episode (the bad days).
As already mentioned fatalaties aren't high but morbidity is. The biggest issue appears to be risk of severe dehydration. Prolonged dehydration can cause the internal organs to start shutting down and then it becomes a lethal condition.
Have your vet show you how to administer sub-q hydration so that you can do this at home when necessary. I was advised by a ferret expert vet not to administer more than 20cc in one go if you are doing it yourself because more is simply too uncomfortable for the ferret.
You are probably aware that painful mouth ulcers is what impedes eating. In fact not eating is one of the signs that the ferret has them, sometimes they also extend into the esophagus and beyond. Therefore, a nutritious duck soup (e.g., A/D alone or with Carnivore Care sprinkled in and warm water or in combination with chicken baby food) is more palatable and presumably does not 'hurt' as much to eat. Carafate appears to help with the pain associated with the ulcers.
30mL of the duck soup at least three times a day will maintain his weight, or a total of 90mL per day. Aim for as close to that as possible and you won't have to worry about his on again/off again weight gain/loss. On his good days you can encourage him to eat more for when he has his bad days. Keep in mind that its because it hurts to eat when he has bad days that he's fighting getting anything into his mouth and not because he's not hungry.
A feeding tube is an extreme and invasive intervention. If its a matter of life and death I might consider it but only until then.
Regular checks with the vet are also important to monitor his overall condition and in case he develops secondary infections. The waxing and waning of acute episodes are typical of ECE.
I know its hard not to get discouraged but he will recover if you persist and fortunately will have lifelong immunity against this nasty bug once its run its course.
Take it one day at time. Be grateful for the good days and be prepared for the bad days. Don't give up on him.
The three I helped out with recovered, but the journey was pretty stressful until they did.
Tressie
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