From:
"suedvm96"
Date: 2010-08-07 15:33:45 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: ferret at the vet - huge GI bleed/hemorrhage
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Most likely if it is in the stomach is a gastric ulcer that perforated. I have seen these and the end result isn't good. Hard if it is really bad even with transfusion. If you catch it early you treat a minor bleed with carafate and then treat the ulcer and support it. The ones I have seen were post death and were caused secondary to a large furball in the stomach. They acted fine and there was no warning until it was too late. Good luck with your fur kid, hope he is one of the lucky ones.
Dr. Sue
TLC First Animal Hospital
Chicago, IL
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "merylfaulkner" <merylannefaulkner@...> wrote:
>
> I drove like a maniac this am over to my vet with Indie. He's a neutered male, about 5, one surgery over a year ago,post surgical problems -incision got infected. He was originally rescued by my vet from neglectful owner.
>
> I found him in his sleepsack covered and lying in a massive amt of partially dried blood and poop/diarrhea. I am as usual feeling guilty. I looked though the archives and found that sometimes GI bleeds are due to"shock".
>
> I'm also wondering if it might be due to stress. My ferrets are free roam, and one female is notorious for picking on the older animals (in this case Indie and Babs). I usually hear the picked on ferrets screech, and since I am home days and sleep lightly (ferrets are mostly in my bedroom at night) I wake, separate Fizzgig - the female- lock her up, check the victim and go back to bed.
>
> Vet said the prognosis is guarded. I have not heard back yet. As I signed the papers allowing treatment they were having trouble getting a catheter in place.
>
> I'm wondering if what happened two days ago could have precipitated this. That morning Fizzgig grabbed Indie behind the head in the scruff area so hard I had to literally hit her across the jaw since I could not pry her jaws open. Afterward I realized I should have taken her and Indie and put her head under a water tap. I looked at the neck area post bite, but could see nothing but a red area. There was hardly any bleeding. However I'm wondering if there could be a delayed reaction of some kind? I'm not sure how an event like that could precipitate the bloody GI problem.
>
> I'll update everyone when I find out if there is any clue to what is going on with Indie. I did ask the vet to look for a bite mark when I at first thought fizzgig might have bitten him and caused the big bleed - though in retrospect it was too much blood unless she got an artery somewhere.
>
> Guess I'm wondering what could cause this sudden big hemorrhage. Obviously can't be stomach? since would have thought it would be all black?? I've never had this kind of hemorrhage happen before in over 30 years of ferret owning. Looked absolutely awful too. Am amazed he was alive this am. Could lymphoma or a tumor do this?
>
> Meryl
>
> [Yes, a GI tumor could do this, so could a perforation
> in the intestinal tract (tumors are one cause and swallowed
> foreign objects are another very common one, less commonly
> things the person meant to give which went wrong like
> a piece of bone can cause a perforation).
>
> Stomach blood turns black or very dark green from being
> partially digested but if it is lost fast enough it won't have time
> to be modified.
>
> Hemolysis, the breaking down of blood, can cause bleeds, as
> can severe allergic reactions. With anaphylactic reactions fluid
> is often lost so rapidly that blood cells are actually carried across
> membranes in into the waste, making bloody flux without any
> wound. People are familiar with that from such reactions --
> typically within minutes of a canine distemper vaccine in the
> small percentage of ferrets who react to those but other allergies
> can cause the same symptom including food allergies if they
> are severe enough to induce anaphylaxia.
>
> Colitis can cause bleeding.
>
> There are other possible causes, but it is unlikely that the other
> ferret caused this.
>
> -- Moderator]
>
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