To vet or not to vet??? Update at the end

[RedSky]

Hi, as many of you know I only got my fuzzies at Christmas so I'm still new and have never gone through the seasons with them.
So what I'm aware that what I might be seeing is just spring time weight drop but I'm worried it might be something more.
First it was Mako, he was only eating tiny bits for just over a day, he was eating just about 1/3 of his normal portion sizes. He was lethargic and seemed really down. We spent a bit of extra time with him, swapped around the toys and he perked up.
Now Bolin thinks it's his turn. Pretty much the exact same thing, but more so. Normally he's a good eater but very lazy and sleepy. He's always the first to go to sleep while out but at the moment I'm waking him up to show him the cage is open, he's walking out of the cage, going to the toilet then finding somewhere to sleep. He pretty much stays there for playtime.
He's eating about 1/5 of his normal intake, sometimes a little more. Not much interest in water (but could be drinking while I'm not watching) and it's lasted since maybe Friday. Mako was a couple of days.
I've given him some pumpkin and it came through, but that was the only normalish poo I'm 100% sure has come from him. The ones I've seen him do are smaller and runnier than usual. I'm not sure about this though as I can't watch him 24/7 and not sure who's is who's.

He doesn't seem distressed, just extra sleepy and not wanting to eat.

So I can ring the vets right now and go at the first appointment they have (normally get in that day or the next at the latest) or I can continue to watch him. I'm off work with a loose disc in my back at the moment so I'm home to watch him but driving to the vets is painful but I can and will go if I should.

Oh and he has an enlarged spleen, we don't know of any other problems health wise.
I've always been very paranoid about my animals and take them to the vets for the slightest thing and with just loosing my baby boy (Cookie Dog) I don't want to risk anything with Bolin (don't tell the others, he's my favourite) but don't want to drag him over if it's just normal spring changes.

Thanks for reading my essay! 

[Deleted]

Personally, I would bring them to the vet. You can never be too careful with ferrets.

[Celene]

I don't ever want to caution anyone against going to the vet if something is wrong, so please trust your gut!

Having said that, I lost count of the number of posts I've seen in the last month along the lines of "help! My ferret has stopped eating!" My girls have been routinely skipping breakfast and dropped weight. Mocha has lost 5 oz since January 25, and she's only about 1.5 lbs! I was worried at first, but I keep seeing all these posts of people going through the exact same thing.

They could also be fighting a mild bug of some sort.

Whether you go to the vet or not depends on a) your personal level of worry and instincts and b) your vet. My vet is good with ferrets, but generally as long as all the vitals are good he'll just say to keep on eye on them and send us home. Of course taking them can't hurt (except the wallet).

[msav]

How old are your ferrets? I know after about 12 - 14 months mine drastically lost weight. They went from almost 4 lbs to about 3 lbs. All of my ferrets I have owned from Kits have had this drastic weight loss around the same age. Loosing their baby fat from being tummies with teeth.

Over the years my ferrets never really had much seasonal weight loss, But then again I was in California. I am not sure if moving to Oregon will change that.


There is many things this can be. They could be bored, they could be sick, At least if you take them to a ferret knowledgeable vet you will know.

[Heather]

If you're worried enough to ask us....go to the vet. The worst that happens you're out your exam fee...the best, you catch something early that doesn't cost you thousands of dollars.
ciao

[Deleted]

Since you are a new ferrent, I would go ahead and make a wellness checkup. It won't hurt (except for your wallet) and might save you money in the long run. If it's something simple, a course of antibiotics can keep them from progressing to something more serious.

Make a list of all the questions that you have and take a journal with you. You can also take your scale along and calibrate it to your vets.

Spring is coming and we all will be seeing a drop in their appetites and some weight loss. That's part of their natural cycle. Aside from the odd one, who has their seasons backwards.

[RedSky]

About an hour after I posted I went to check on him and offered him some pork and he ate almost as much as he normally does so I thought he must be feeling better, his eyes looked brighter too. And I've seen so many posts about ferrets loosing their appetites and being a little more sluggish, which is why I asked incase it's just a normal thing. The weather here is changing, we have had a couple of really nice days.
My back has been really painful so after some strong painkillers and the resulting nap I checked on him and let them out. He's not even come out of his bed, I woke him up and he stretched to reach me and ate a little more pork when I offered it to him then went back to sleep.
The vets will be closed before I can get him there and I don't think it's an emergancy so I'm going to call first thing in the morning and get him in. You're all right, if I'm wrong and he's fine then I'll be relieved and if he's got a bug or something they can give him something to help. If it's something more serious then not taking him isn't going to stop it, it's just going to make it worse in the long run.

Thank you all for your advice, I'll let you know how he gets on.

[RedSky]

He's eaten just over a tablespoon of soupie (just pork, an egg and bonemeal didn't have any organs defrosted) for breakfast and he had about 2 maybe 3 last night. He's taken himself straight back to bed though so I'm still worried. Got an appointment for 4.15pm.

[Celene]

Soupie is easy for ferrets to lap up, so if he won't eat more than a tablespoon then it's definitely a good idea to get him looked at. I know you're probably going to do this anyway, but I'll say it for the benefit of anyone else reading who might be in this situation in the future - get him up every hour or so and try to get some food (or at least fluids) in him so he doesn't get dehydrated or anything.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[RedSky]

After a long trip (ended up having to take the bus) the vet had a feel of his stomach and said his spleen has grown so he's booked in for Thursday to remove it. She said it's best to take it out as it's possible it will rupture (and I presume kill him) and there's no point just going in to do a biopsy then going back in to take it if it is cancerous or grows anymore. She has removed spleen before from ferrets and said they do fine without them so I'm not too worried about long term and want him to feel better.
I made sure he had a big drink before me left, he likes different containers so I kept swapping between them and we've just got back and he's had another 1/2 tablespoon of soup and another drink (from a bucket haha).

Internet went down earlier, so could post. Tea today is heart and when I put the bowl down he eventually woke up, went to the toilet (just a wee), had 2 pieces (so maybe 0.5oz) then had a big drink. He was eating some more then went back to bed.

[Heather]

Yes, a ruptured spleen is fatal...they bleed out in minutes. While she's fishing around in there have her look at his pancreas and his adrenal glands ( you might as well find out all that might be wrong in there, if she's going to be fumbling around in there anyway) A ferret can have an enlarged spleen because of a number of things. It can be everything from a simple infection (spleen returns to normal after a go of antibiotics), to adrenal or any other "stressor". Ferrets can function comfortably with an enlarged spleen, as long as it doesn't impede mobility. They also can function without it as well.
Good luck, please keep us posted
ciao

[RedSky]

She did say she would have a look around while she's removing the spleen but it's great to know what to ask her to look at specifically. She is a great vet but not a ferret expert. She is the best locally and even the RSPCA bring their ferrets to her (coming past numerous other vets on the way).

[Blue]

Heather, aren't there special precautions to take with ferrets under anesthesia? Perhaps it would be good to mention them to the vet if she isn't a ferret expert.

I'm sorry Bolin's feeling poorly, but hopefully this'll get him fixed up! A friend's ferret had a spleenectomy (did I spell that right??) and recovered very quickly. Keep us updated!

[RedSky]

Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts and advice. I really appreciate it and don't know what I'd do without this forum and all your help.

Bolin ate nearly an oz of heart this morning, no interest in water. He woke up when I put the food bowl in, not sure if it was because Mako climbed over him to get the food, they really love heart! I hand fed him some of the smaller chunks as he was trying to eat a bigger stringy bit and wasn't getting anywhere. He still had to chew them but not for as long, I didn't want him getting too tired to finish eating.
He's still in bed in the cage, which isn't like him at all, he's the only one who cage rages. The other two have been out over 3 hours so are fast asleep in their usual spots in the house.

[Heather]

Surgery is scarey at the best of times. Heating or warming pad a must as their temp drops severely when under. Odin went into respiratory failure, being aware this happens more times than not is a plus. There are certain anesthetics that work better with ferrets...I'm not familiar with these as I leave this up to my surgeon
ciao