From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2011-08-30 16:31:56 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Re: Good Afternoon - Roo's Update
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
On Aug 30, 2011, at 11:02 AM, Kevin Farlee wrote:
> Prednisone and prednisolone can be very hard on the tummy, so I would always
> give them in combination with Pepcid or another agent to sooth the GI tract.
> If not, that alone could be causing loss of appetite.
>
> It is also very common for long-term pred use to result in a swollen,
> bloated looking belly. We refer to it as "Pred Belly". is it possible that
> a vet without a great deal of ferret experience has mistaken that for
> lymphoma?
Oh, great points!
*****Ferret getting diuretics should be given extra fluids.*****
If it is Pred Belly then giving a diuretic will make the ferret lethargic, dehydrated, uninterested in eating due to mucus membranes being too dry to smell, and uncomfortable, and can even become dangerous.
If a ferret gets too dry then extra fluids are needed and giving things like baby food or a/d in heated water so that the soup is about body temp for a ferret (about 102') tends to be more aromatic and better accepted.
*****Ferret getting diuretics should be given extra fluids.*****
This might sound strange but we have encountered it: it is possible for a ferret to have too much fluid where it does not belong (such as in the chest or abdominal cavities) but too little where it is needed at the same time.
*****Ferret getting diuretics should be given extra fluids.***** Yes, they will urinate more. That is fine.
On the other hand, if there is ascites, a diuretic can be life saving.
This is not always useful but sometimes it is: usually (not always) when a ferret with ascites is laid on her back and the belly is lightly tapped it will move like a water balloon moves, which is usually (not always) not how fat moves.
Is there belly bloating and how did the vet assess it? Is there instead fluid in the chest cavity?
Was the assessment from the x-rays? If so, and the chest was opaque that can be from infection (and pneumonia can take a long run of multiple antibiotics) or from something else like lymphoma or fluid from heart disease though things will not show up clearly in that situation because the fluid does not let one see clearly what is happening.
Has the ferret been coughing?
*****Ferret getting diuretics should be given extra fluids.*****
We like to ALWAYS give a "soup" made with baby food or a/d and heated water and stirred with a fork immediately before and after either Pred is given to shield the stomach, and if the stomach if having problems we give Carafate about a half hour before that med and the food. We use the liquid version that is also available at pharmacies by prescription.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
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