Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2012 16:12:10 GMT -5
Minor anal prolapse and/or swelling in ferrets is not terribly uncommon. In fact, it seems like all ferrets will get diarrhea that reults in an "irritated bum" at some point in time. Typically, prolapse is caused by straining during defecation (and sometimes urination!).
Holistic treatment for prolapse and/or recurring/persistant anal swelling/irritation involves a two-fold treatment:
1. treatment of the prolapse/selling/irritation
2. treatment of the root cause (straining)
1. Topical treatment:
My holistic vet mixes up a custom topical ointment that works wonders. I have no clue about the percentages, etc., but the mix includes the following primary ingredients:
* aloe (herbal)
* calendula (herbal)
* simlax (herbal)
* Lanolin (animal)
* Dermalone (prescription veterinary anti-biotic/-fungal and corticosteroid)
www.drugs.com/vet/dermalone-ointment.html
It has been my experience that MOST ferrets do NOT lick their bums! They "wipe" them on the carpet instead.
Knowing my holistic vet, I suspect that the amount of Dermalone is minimal. Dermalone is prescription veterniary medicine. This may be something you want to discuss with your vet if the need arises. I suspect that my vet's preparation uses a minimal amount of dermalone - your vet may recommend something like Panalog instead - the "raw dermalone" in undiluted form may be inappropriate for a ferret.
I still need to contact my retired traditional ferret vet who used some "drops" for anal problems - I suspect these may have steroids as well.
Another thought - Panalog (a common vet topical oitment) is antibacterial and steroidal too - it would probably help as well.
2. Digestive treatment:
TYpically, prolaspe begins with problems in the gut - commonly diarrhea, which can have numerous different causes. Restoring digestive health can be a difficult, long-term battle with some ferrets. Unfortunately, IBD and/or food allergry/sensitivies are all too common in ferrets.
I will not go into a major explanation on how to work with IBD/food allergies in this thread, but I will mention a few tips here. The first thing to remember is that, if your ferret has a prolapse/swollen/irritated anus, topical treatment may help your ferret's bum, but chances are the prolapse/irritation will return (and/or get worse) as soon as the topical treatments are stopped if the root cause of the problem is not addressed.
Requirements for healthy digestion include:
1. sufficient bulk in the diet to maintain muscle tone in the colon.
2. bacterial balance in the gut
3. suffient pancreatic/billiary secretions for heathy digestion
4. appropriate diet, which may vary per individual ferret! (food sensitivites, etc)
5. dietary rotation with sufficient variety to mitigate the risk of allergy
6. sufficient exercise
7. well-managed stress levels (rquired sufficient enrichment)
I have not posted anything on IBD in quite a while since I know there's already a lot on the forum about managing gut issues. I'm hoping to get more time to post something about IBD - my holistic vet mixes up a specifc blend for eat animal - the stuff he comes up with is awesome....he is the source of all the info I've provided regarding dietary bulk, pancreatic enzymes, acid-resistent pro-bios, reishi, white fish, bentonite etc..
ANyway, I have learned some new theory about food allergies because my sister's dog has issues......I will post when I get time.
(I will also get the info on the "butt drops" my traditional vet used for prolapse - again - I suspect these are steroid-based, BUTT (LOL!!!) they're nifty because the ferts don't feel the need to "wipe" after you apply
drops - I think the ointment feels like a dirty bum, so the ointment results in an instant "need" for the ferret to share the ointment with your carpet
But hey- you can always replace your carpet. You can NEVER REPLACE a ferret....each one is unique
-jennifer
Holistic treatment for prolapse and/or recurring/persistant anal swelling/irritation involves a two-fold treatment:
1. treatment of the prolapse/selling/irritation
2. treatment of the root cause (straining)
1. Topical treatment:
My holistic vet mixes up a custom topical ointment that works wonders. I have no clue about the percentages, etc., but the mix includes the following primary ingredients:
* aloe (herbal)
* calendula (herbal)
* simlax (herbal)
* Lanolin (animal)
* Dermalone (prescription veterinary anti-biotic/-fungal and corticosteroid)
www.drugs.com/vet/dermalone-ointment.html
It has been my experience that MOST ferrets do NOT lick their bums! They "wipe" them on the carpet instead.
Knowing my holistic vet, I suspect that the amount of Dermalone is minimal. Dermalone is prescription veterniary medicine. This may be something you want to discuss with your vet if the need arises. I suspect that my vet's preparation uses a minimal amount of dermalone - your vet may recommend something like Panalog instead - the "raw dermalone" in undiluted form may be inappropriate for a ferret.I still need to contact my retired traditional ferret vet who used some "drops" for anal problems - I suspect these may have steroids as well.
Another thought - Panalog (a common vet topical oitment) is antibacterial and steroidal too - it would probably help as well.
2. Digestive treatment:
TYpically, prolaspe begins with problems in the gut - commonly diarrhea, which can have numerous different causes. Restoring digestive health can be a difficult, long-term battle with some ferrets. Unfortunately, IBD and/or food allergry/sensitivies are all too common in ferrets.
I will not go into a major explanation on how to work with IBD/food allergies in this thread, but I will mention a few tips here. The first thing to remember is that, if your ferret has a prolapse/swollen/irritated anus, topical treatment may help your ferret's bum, but chances are the prolapse/irritation will return (and/or get worse) as soon as the topical treatments are stopped if the root cause of the problem is not addressed.
Requirements for healthy digestion include:
1. sufficient bulk in the diet to maintain muscle tone in the colon.
2. bacterial balance in the gut
3. suffient pancreatic/billiary secretions for heathy digestion
4. appropriate diet, which may vary per individual ferret! (food sensitivites, etc)
5. dietary rotation with sufficient variety to mitigate the risk of allergy
6. sufficient exercise
7. well-managed stress levels (rquired sufficient enrichment)
I have not posted anything on IBD in quite a while since I know there's already a lot on the forum about managing gut issues. I'm hoping to get more time to post something about IBD - my holistic vet mixes up a specifc blend for eat animal - the stuff he comes up with is awesome....he is the source of all the info I've provided regarding dietary bulk, pancreatic enzymes, acid-resistent pro-bios, reishi, white fish, bentonite etc..
ANyway, I have learned some new theory about food allergies because my sister's dog has issues......I will post when I get time.
(I will also get the info on the "butt drops" my traditional vet used for prolapse - again - I suspect these are steroid-based, BUTT (LOL!!!) they're nifty because the ferts don't feel the need to "wipe" after you apply
drops - I think the ointment feels like a dirty bum, so the ointment results in an instant "need" for the ferret to share the ointment with your carpet
But hey- you can always replace your carpet. You can NEVER REPLACE a ferret....each one is unique
-jennifer
