From:
"pattihoncoop"
Date: 2011-11-24 20:31:44 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] ferret bleeding from his mouth
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I have a 3-4 year old ferret who is adrenal, insulinomic and suffers from liver issues. He's been doing fairly well and is on daily prednisilone, sam-e and milk thistle. He also has a melatonin implant. I went to get him this morning for his soup and noticed blood on his front paw. After cleaning it up and realizing there was no injury, I discovered the blood was coming from his mouth. I can't get him to open his mouth to check for any injury or ulcer. He's acting normally, eating kibble and soup, drinking water. I have a ferret rescue and I've seen blood from the mouth before, but it's been in the final hours and the ferret was already nearly or completely unresponsive. Could this be an issue with his GI tract?
I gave him a dose of amoxi this morning and some flagyl after his lunch soup. He still has blood coming and is already pale. I can't say it's a huge amount of blood, but obviously more than I'd like to see. My vet is closed until Saturday for the holiday. Any advice or thoughts anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated!! Happy Thanksgiving...
[If you can't get his mouth open, how do you know that his gums are pale? If you gently push his lip up, is there bloody saliva on his teeth? Check both sides.
Are you certain its coming from his mouth and not his nose?
If his behaviour is for the most part normal, and his appetite is not affected it sounds more like it may be a gum/tooth/mouth injury. I had a ferret who vomited blood from a bleeding ulcer, but that is not what you are describing.
Could he have cut himself by chomping down on something sharp?
I would caution against administering any antibiotics without veterinary guidance. If its an injury they won't help. If its an infection like helicobacter you would need to do the full course of antibiotics otherwise you are essentially breeding an antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria. And his symptoms don't sound like helicobacter.
And why have you given 2 antibiotics?? This is not wise without direct recommendation from a veterinarian. If it continues bleeding or volume increases or if he starts refusing to eat or other clinical symptoms appear take him to an emergency veterinary clinic. Otherwise don't do anything except monitor him closely and get him to your vet first thing Saturday. - Moderator (TD)].
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/