From:
"hemfcf"
Date: 2011-05-28 22:38:47 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Wasting ferret, vet no help
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
This could very well be a stomach foreign body as well. Chronic irritation can cause inflammation of the stomach wall/lining. I would suggest a barium study to look for something in the stomach since nothing else is seeming to help. I have had 2 of my own ferrets have hairballs and lose weight. One of these same ferrets had similar bloodwork. I could never diagnose his problem but it ended with a splenectomy and he recovered well. If this vet is not willing to look further, find another ferret vet who will. Possibly the vet of the donating shelter.
Good luck,
Dr. Heather
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "MJB" <mary_jo_bright@...> wrote:
>
> About 6 weeks ago FnG vomited twice. I didn't think much about it at the time. Then he slowly started losing weight. BM seemed ok. Couldn't tell if it was his usual end of winter weight lose or something else. Well it is something else. He has gone from 1100 grams to 630 grams. On 4/18 890g 4/23 840, 4/28 800, 10 grams a day losing, started him on pred as per the rescue I foster for. 0.25cc of 15mg/5ml 2 times a day plus carafate. His BM were sometimes formed but seedy sometimes watery. Light in color. His appetite steady. 4/30 860 grams 5/1 850, 5/4 920, then he started losing again 5/13 down to 750. I wanted to take him to vets was told there was no funding. I had already started him on chicken baby food which he hates liquid diets- period. I had tried Carnivore care earlier, which he rejected. Went to vets on 5/20 (Last Thursday) 730 grams. Bloodwork High WBC 8.3,RBC 13.88,HGB 22.4,HCT 61.5,Nuetrophil seg 74, monocytes 9,
> MCV=44
> MCH=36.4
> Lymphocytes low 17
>
> Absolute valuses nuetrophil seg= 6147, lymphocyte 1411, monocyte 747, eosinophil=0 basophil=0
>
> Not sure what else I should post of the other panel so I will post it all
> alk. phosphatease 119
> alt (sgpt) 785
> AST (sgot)264 high
> ck 304
> GGT 9.0
> albumin 3.0 low
> total protein 7.3 high
> globulin 4.3 high
> total bilirubin 0.1
> bun 31
> creatine 0.9
> cholesterol 307 high
> glucose 88 low
> calcium 9.1
> phosphorus 7.6
> sodium 136
> a/g ratio 0.7
>
> The vet put him on Flagyl 0.25 cc (no concentration on bottle)and had me continue with the pred but lowered the dose to 0.20. By Monday his weight had dropped to 630 grams. I then switched him to Carnivore care and started force feeding. The vet wasn't in but his partner had me start him on Clavamox. 0.25cc 2 x a day. His BM is seedy but light in color, watery. I offered to give him sub-Q because he just didn't seem like he was going to make it. I gave him 35 cc lactated ringers 12 hours apart on Monday so a total of 70 CC. Tuesday called vet 4 times with no results. Called today 3 times. FINALLY got to talk with him and he told me that if money was no object I should take him to x hospital and have a esophageal tube put in for supportive care and see what they could do! Are you serious? I asked about maybe an x-ray to see if he had a partial blockage since he is a ferret that chews cords and thing and he said "no" he could pretty much feel if there was anything in a ferrets intestines and he didn't really have any inflammation going on. That he had a gut thing. That maybe an xray could tell us if something was going on with his lungs or something. He told me to put him on 1.0 cc of Kaopectate twice a day for the diarrhea.
>
> Can someone please suggest something before this animal expires in my care? I was only allowed to spend $300 that was generously donated by another rescue group because the group I am fostering for completely abandoned this animal. This vet used up $253 of that. He is 2 and a half years old. Had a superlorlin implant last October (paid by me) and has always been health until now. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Yes I will go purchase medication. I just can't afford hospitalization etc. Thank you, MJ
>
> [There is very little that can be done for
> $350, sometimes not even enough to
> find out what is wrong with a ferret.
>
> -- Moderator]
>
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