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Post by Lynette on Oct 31, 2013 19:47:49 GMT -5
I was wondering how long after consumption of a foreign object can a ferret live without any medical treatment.
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Post by jadeguppyme on Oct 31, 2013 20:06:46 GMT -5
Blockages usually have 48-72 hours to treat is they haven't ruptured anything internally.
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Post by katt on Oct 31, 2013 20:28:23 GMT -5
Not very long. 72 hours is seriously pushing it, IF the ferret is even alive by then. It depends on how severe the blockage is too. A floating blockage can float around quite a while, but it will still be causing damage every day it is in there. A true blockage is a serious emergency and treatment should never ever be put off. They go downhill fast and hard. Every minute the blockage remains in the intestines, the death of the tissues increases and spreads, dehydration worsens, risks skyrocket, and chances of survival in surgery plummet.
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Post by katt on Oct 31, 2013 20:33:10 GMT -5
Also, the more dehydrated the ferret gets (esp dangerous and fast in kibble fed ferrets), the less likely they are to pass the blockage naturally as the intestines begin to adhere to themselves.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 31, 2013 20:42:48 GMT -5
By all means YOU can live with your ferret having a blockage. However, your ferret WILL die. Plain and simple. Our Lucrezia went from fine to damned near dead in under 8 hours. Your choice.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2013 8:29:03 GMT -5
Floating blockages are really nasty too. Even if you have treated the consumption of a foreign object with Vaseline/pumpkin and have seen the object come out in the poop, the blockage risk might not necessarily be over. If even a tiny piece of the object is left (say a piece of foam or rubber) it can float around inside the intestines for weeks (possibly longer?) causing all sorts of damage, including nutritional deficiencies from malabsorption. The danger of a floating blockage is that is can become a complete blockage suddenly and at any time and then you've only got mere hours to treat it.
Therefore: if a ferret ever ingests a foreign object treat immediately with the alternating pumpkin and Vaseline protocol. And If you manage to get the blockage out on your own (ie no symptoms like vomiting or other warning signs occur that mean you need to see an emergency vet pronto), you better dissect the poop and make sure it is ALL there.
When in doubt, always get a barium X-ray.
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