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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 8:11:21 GMT -5
I was awoken by my daughter and grand daughter this morning because Bella was repeatedly scratching the inside top of her mouth which was causing bleeding!! I picked her up and she had some blood on her paws, which I'm sure is from the scratching. I held her and she calmed right down...after a while I attempted to put her back in her cage and she started doing it again...so I picked her up, I checked the inside of her mouth and ran my finger at the top to make sure that she didn't have anything stuck up there and it's clear. So I held her some more and she calmed right down and slept on me. She has now stopped and is back in her bed sleeping. Any ideas? ??
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Post by Jeremy's Boggle on Dec 16, 2014 9:17:03 GMT -5
How old is Bella? Sometimes they scratch at their mouths due to pain or nausea. If you cant find any sores at the back of her throat or something wrong with her teeth, it could be that something is causing her to have nausea. Often low blood glucose.
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Post by bitbyter on Dec 16, 2014 11:41:20 GMT -5
Check to see if she has a bone stuck in her teeth. The other possible cause is nausea. Also, keep an eye on her to see if she is grinding her teeth.
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Post by Heather on Dec 16, 2014 13:49:47 GMT -5
Get this little one to the vet ASAP. It could be any number of things but generally a ferret who's tearing into it's mouth like this either has something caught in it's teeth or throat, is in pain or is nauseated. Whatever it is you're going to have to vet if you can't see something caught in her teeth. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 14:03:36 GMT -5
She has been fine. I checked the inside of her mouth and it's all clear. I cuddled her for quite a while and she stopped and has been fine since. She is eating and drinking. I'm keeping a close watch on her.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 14:31:01 GMT -5
Obviously something was wrong or she wouldn't have ripped into her mouth, she needs to be seen by a Vet for this, if it happened once it will probably happen again and that isn't a good thing for you or her to go through. I'd say have her BG checked and get her on something like Carafate. She could have Insulinoma and have nausea from a low BG, she could have ulcers that's causing nausea or something else, either way needs a Vets attention and medicine.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 15:58:44 GMT -5
I've been monitoring her all day and she has gone to her normal self. She has even eaten more than she usually does. If she does it again I am definitely taking her to the vet immediately.
Thank you everyone for your input.
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Post by Heather on Dec 16, 2014 16:02:42 GMT -5
It could be that she got a piece of bone wedged in between her teeth. Ferrets raised on raw have unique methods of removing this obstruction, ferrets newly switched have to learn to remove this themselves. I would be very concerned if this occurs again. I would observe but keep in mind that a low BG will cause this type of behaviour ciao
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 23:59:55 GMT -5
I researched today, a lot...it almost sounds like she has Insulinoma When I called my vet's office, I was told that they don't do blood work on ferrets!! They have to send them away!! I couldn't believe it!! The other vets were closed, so I will be making calls tomorrow. I pray that there's a vet in this city that will help me! I'm soooo heart broken. I am such an animal lover and my fur babies are just like my human babies. I know I have not had Bella & Mia long, but they have found a place in my heart very quickly. I don't think I could handle anymore losses, it's been a rough year and a half. In July 2013 I lost my Dad and on September 5th of this year I had surgery. On September 15th I had to send my furbaby, Sadie (shih tzu) to the Rainbow Bridge. She was 14 years old and I had her since she was 4 weeks old. I still have her son, Brady who is 12 and his daughter Shyanne who is 10. And now if I lose another fur baby... Bella ate today...she had 1.4 oz of soupie. I've cuddled her a lot, she just lays on me and sleeps. I will update tomorrow once I speak to a vet. Thank you for listening.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 0:34:13 GMT -5
They won't do a simple BG test? Every Vet has a BG monitor, you poke their foot and put the strip up to it, takes 5 seconds and is about $9. Insulinoma is treatable and many ferrets can live several years perfectly happy with it, treatment is generally Prednisolone twice a day, increasing dose as symptoms occur, then sometimes used in combination with Carafate to coat the tummy because Pred can cause ulcers, and in the end stages a lot of people add in Diazoxide, it's a miracle drug but is much more potent and in my opinion should only be used in the end. A BG in the 80's can be borderline Insulinoma and usually is if you suspect it, 70's is borderline also but needs treatment, 60's and under needs immediate treatment and is a confirmed case then and there. I know it seems like everything will be terrible from now on, but trust me when I say your girl has some good time on her, and I'm sure she will live a long and happy life despite what may be Insu. I've had 1 ferret (D.I.P Juliet) that had Adrenal, Insulinoma and Lymphoma, I had one with Insulinoma, one with Lymphoma and we suspect my boy Caillou has Lymphoma. They all lived happy lives until right at the end, everything will be okay.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 0:51:35 GMT -5
You're just triggered tears for me. Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm soooo worried...she is laying here on my desk beside me in her slipper. She does not have much energy. My father in law has a BG tester, could I do it myself??? I again want to thank you for your words, you have made me feel better!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 1:12:19 GMT -5
Bella is in good hands! Even if she is sick she is lucky to have someone who loves her like you do.
If I were in your shoes and had access to a BG monitor I would use it...if anything for peace of mind. If you have to call for an out of town vet you would have another piece of information.
Fingers crossed!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 1:35:33 GMT -5
thank you so much ladybee!!! Your kind words mean so much. I'm going to use the BG tester in the morning after she has not eaten for 4 hours. Thank you again
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 1:45:03 GMT -5
I hope she is alright! *fingers crossed*
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 1:56:14 GMT -5
Just a note about bones stuck in teeth....
My Daisy gets bones stuck in her teeth about twice a year....who knows why... But when she does, she drools a lot and paws at her mouth. Sometimes I can see the bone (after a lot of looking) and sometimes not. Bone is very, very difficult to find as it looks exactly like a tooth. Add to that the fact that a ferret won't sit still and open wide for you to check out the chompers. So...if you suspect that you could have a possible stuck bone, grab a few Q-tips, scruff them and lay them on their back on a counter that has good lighting. Open their mouth by rubbing the Q-tip along their teeth. QUICKLY run the q-tip around the front and back of all their teeth a few times. It, more than likely, will take a few Q-tips so when I'm preparing to do this I grab about 10 of them and stick them in a small shot glass right next to me to keep them clean.
This method should get any bones out that are stuck in there. Afterwards they should stop drooling and pawing at their mouth. If not, a trip to the vet is in order to eliminate any other issues it could be.
I did this method once on Mickey and it didn't work after several times. I was nearly out the door (bag packed for the trip, keys and purse in hand) and I tried one more time. All of a sudden out popped the smallest little sliver. He immediately stopped digging in his mouth and wanted to eat. LOL Little porker....
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