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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 3:58:50 GMT -5
*By black I mean its either black or a very very dark brown. I will attempt to get a photo but Dayton's been his normal self lately so I didn't think much of anything about checking the litter box or anything today. In fact I hadn't checked his box except just now to see if I should clean it now or later on. I'm going to hold off while I get phone charged up enough to get a picture of the stool but could this mean. It doesn't exactly look 'tarry' to me just like a normal ferret poop except very dark in color. But being a new ferret owner maybe I'm mistaken on if this is a bad thing or not. But from what I've seen when cleaning up the litter box Dayton has had consistent stool for the most part so it was never much of a thing to worry about til just now. Any ideas what could have caused this? Do you recommend a vet visit? I'm personally considering it but would like to know more first.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 4:22:59 GMT -5
Hey sorry I'm not very helpful but this question might help: What was his last meal? Xx
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 4:25:03 GMT -5
Well, since we're currently taking a break from trying to transition to raw his last meal was his kibble.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 5:15:43 GMT -5
Ok. Black stools can be a sign of internal injury... How many have been Black (or dark)? A picture might help as you know. Hopefully someone with a bit more expertise will come along soon. If in doubt call the vet Xx
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Post by RedSky on Jul 20, 2015 5:20:46 GMT -5
Some great advice above. If he's only had kibble for the last few meals/days then I would be more concerned. It could be a sign of a bit of internal bleeding. How are his gums looking? Also is he dehydrated? I take it he seems bright and happy in himself? No flinching when gently pressing his stomach (don't do this with much pressure, if he is in pain already it could be really sore and cause further issues).
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 5:22:01 GMT -5
Dark/black stools like that can indicate a gastric bleed coming from the upper intestine (digested blood). Is it just the one poop? Has anything, (and I mean anything) changed in his or your life at all in the past week days/weeks? Gastric ulcers can cause poops like that and they're usually accompanied by stress from a recent change or etc. Not always but a fair amount of the time. Given that he is kibble fed I would be more concerned about a poop like that, with raw fed ferrets their poops are always kinda wacky (changes depending on what they eat) so one or two odd poops is nothing to worry about, but with kibble fed ferrets they should be consistent. Does he have any change in behavior? Is he eating/drinking/playing/acting fine? I just read that you are taking a break from his raw switch, when was his last raw meal and what was it? I'm going to tag a few people to help, try not to worry about little Dayton too much, just want to make sure. Heather, bitbyter, what do you guys think? |
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Post by Heather on Jul 20, 2015 11:47:08 GMT -5
Dark stools for a ferret eating kibble is a definite sign something is wrong. Why if you're feeding raw would you start feeding kibbles again? That's enough stress to severely upset a ferrets stomach right there
ciao
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Post by lyles on Jul 20, 2015 13:26:19 GMT -5
Dark stools for a ferret eating kibble is a definite sign something is wrong. Why if you're feeding raw would you start feeding kibbles again? That's enough stress to severely upset a ferrets stomach right there ciao I agree, once you make the decision to switch you should never try to go back to kibble. I know the fear if there are times it looks like they are not eating what you serve and you are afraid that they'll starve to death unless you give them what they are already known to eat. I felt this way a few times when I switched mine and she wouldn't touch the food for several hours. Try to find new ways to stimulate their appetites for raw and don't give up, going back to kibble will wreck havoc on their GI tract. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 22:41:16 GMT -5
Sorry, I should more clearly say what I mean, He's techically still in transition but we're taking our transition slow since he's picky on when he'll eat the meat we only try once or twice every few days but its just been a couple days since we tried again. I assumed with the pace I was going at it was still ok to give kibble when I wasn't giving him meat slivers or egg yolk or even soupie since I only really let those sit out for so long.
The law raw meal was a bit of chicken about 3 days ago since he's still not taking to chicken very well, I haven't tried to add anything in. As for his behavior he's been a bit less rambunctious when trying to get my attention when I first get home from work. Aside from that everything appeared fine to me. After looking again he'd had a couple more dark poops so I believe a trip to the vet will be definitely be in order. There was no flinching when I touched his stomach and he still seems alert and happy when I took him out. I checked his water levels, he's definitely been drinking, the gums are pink and salivated to a normal amount if thats what one could say.
Changes in routine that immediately come to mind, I started sleeping in the bedroom again which is the room his cage is in, I stopped taking him in the bathroom when I take showers(it was one of his morning playtime routines we always put a bunch of toys in there and he gets 30min of playtime) but I stopped that maybe a week or week and a half ago?
Honestly I'm just worried for my baby and want to do what I can for him, I feel bad knowing it be my mistake causing this but I guess being a first time ferrent has its oops times and its good ones. I will call Dr. Arnold tomorrow morning and see when she can see him.
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Post by Heather on Jul 20, 2015 23:03:29 GMT -5
Stomach upsets are one the biggest reasons why I do not advocate mixing the two forms of food. It causes stress on not just the ferret's digestion but actually on their mental health as they cannot get accustomed to the diet they're supposed to have. It's like taking an alcoholic and telling him he can have booze on Monday and Thurs but the rest of the time he has to go dry.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 23:25:04 GMT -5
Heather Thank you for the advice, I honestly feel awful about letting this happen and will now be working to fix this mistake as soon as possible after the vet visit which should be tomorrow if they can squeeze me in.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2015 0:47:59 GMT -5
Hopefully all is well and it's a minor problem. Try not to worry too much but do get him seen to ASAP.
We all know how hard it is to watch our babies reject food and worry that they're not eating enough... You will find a method that works for you soon, I'm sure of it xx
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2015 6:59:37 GMT -5
Finally was able to upload a picture of stool, about to call the vet since they open in a few minutes. oi62.tinypic.com/5v9lib.jpgDecided to just post a link rather than insert the image in case anyone would rather not see. EDIT: Just called and was able to snag a 3:40 appointment for today. I was also able to schedule getting his vaccinations in August so theres two birds with one stone so to say. EDIT AGAIN: I decided to add on I'm actually very lucky that this fell on the beginning of this week so to say as I was told the vet that can see him is only there Monday through Thursday usually I think? They're the closest vet that will see small animals such Dayton and the only other one is about 40 minutes away. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2015 7:12:05 GMT -5
pooh is ok to post  |
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Post by Heather on Jul 21, 2015 10:44:55 GMT -5
Is that a fresh stool? If so I would be concerned. If it's older than about half an hour than darkening of stools happen. It's still darker than I'd like to see, especially if the wee one's last few meals were kibbles. The stools should be the colour of the kibbles
ciao
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