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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2016 22:54:58 GMT -5
Hi! I'm new in the forum but I've been following your advice many times, I have two ferrets, 4 and 6 yrs, the older was diagnosed with adrenal desease, he's currently in treatment with lupron, a few days ago both had diarrhea but I didn't worry and in fact my youngest ferret was fine after a few days but the oldest stopped eating and lost weight, so we visit the veterinarian and she said he was severely dehydrated and he was admitted and he was given an IV, he was at the veterinarian 5 days but when I visit him at day 3 he couldn't walk, I thought it was because the IV but today after they took off the IV he can't walk, he moves the legs but it's like the rear legs couldn't hold him, they separate, and also he has a HUGE abdomen, he put on like 9 oz which I think is a lot because he only weighted like 1 lb, he has always been really small, the vet told me maybe it was insulinoma but she didn't test, she prescribed prednisone, I don't know what to do or how to care for him because he can't go to the bathroom properly so he's always soiling himself and right now on top of everything he has a really ugly rash in his belly and a prolapse which didn't have before the vet's visit. So if anyone could give me any advice I'll be forever grateful, and thank you for reading my super long rant.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2016 22:57:24 GMT -5
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Post by katt on Jun 29, 2016 2:24:52 GMT -5
Are there any other new vets near you? I'd be seeing a new vet - and soon. Testing for Insulinoma is inexpensive and very easy. All it is is a blood stick to check their glucose. And if the hind limb weakeness was due to insu, it would get better with the BG improving. That also in no way accounts for his belly or prolapse. I don't like this one bit... What sort of tests DID the vet do? Did they do a barium X-Ray? Any X-Ray? Labs? Was and Is he on any meds (which ones? How is he doing as far as eating and pooping? Any other symptoms? Cough, vomiting, sleeping a lot, straining to poop or pee, pooping/peeing less/more than usual? What are his poops like? (How often, how big, texture, color). What is his diet? Does he seem to be in pain?
Lots of things come to mind - intestinal blockage, neurological damage, spinal injury, blood clot to the legs, a tumor pressing on his nerves/spinal cord....He needs some labs and imaging and based off of what little you have told us, a new vet. The sooner the better.
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Post by katt on Jun 29, 2016 2:25:28 GMT -5
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Post by Sherry on Jun 29, 2016 9:11:06 GMT -5
I would also get to a new vet asap. That is fluid buildup in the belly by the pic. He could also have had a spinal injury(dropped by someone), or even a stroke. What he is experiencing isn't due to insulinoma. Especially not a newly diagnosed one.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2016 15:27:33 GMT -5
Thank you for the advice, so far he is doing ok, he is eating little but every few hours and pooping normal in color, a little bit runny and very smelly, I think the belly was fluid too because it has diminished a lot, he was with the IV for almost five days, that was a bit excessive for me but I'm not a vet so I trusted her, he doesn't seem to be in any pain even when the vet said he was I didn't see any sign, the vet recommended to feed him duck soup every 4 hours but seeing the size of the belly it didn't sound reasonable to me so he's been eating zupreem at his pace, she prescribed prednisone, enrofloxacin and Pepto-Bismol every 24 hours, right now he has been in a good mood, a bit desperate because the prolapse, he keeps licking the area, I think I'm going to make an e-collar or something to stop him doing more damage. Also I'm super super sad and worried because my other ferret seems to not recognise his brother, he attacked him and left my poor sick baby shaken, he even pee himself from the shock, I don't know why the other ferret is acting like this, I guess is because the smell of coco has change due the sickness and the medicines, I just hope everything return to normal when coco, my sick baby, recovers. I'm going to consult with another vet like you suggested and also ask for a few test. Thank you again
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Post by Heather on Jun 29, 2016 17:30:33 GMT -5
I would be getting another vet, consider it a second opinion. I would be testing for insulinoma (cheap test) but I would really be checking for a possible heart condition. The heart condition will cause increase fluid accumulation ciao
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Post by katt on Jun 29, 2016 19:02:06 GMT -5
Heart disease could cause the fluid buildup, but so could a simple volume overload from excess fluids. If he was getting IV fluids (esp IV rather than SubQ) for 5 days from a vet who, from the sound of it, isn't all that knowledgable about ferrets, it's possible they gave too much. But I wouldn't by any means rule out heart disease either, especially if the fluid doesn't go away fairly quickly. It could even be both. What is most concerning to me is why isn't he using his back legs? He needs an XRay to look at his spine and the size of his heart. Since he's pooping okay a blockage is less likely, but it could be a floating blockage. I would get him into another vet. Check out our vet directory and see if anyone is near you that other ferret owners have vouched for. Otherwise still call around and see if you can find someone else to see. Prolapse is pretty common with diarrhea. How badly is it prolapsed? Some people have good success with using plain sugar - the sugar draws the excess water from the swollen tissues and helps to shrink the swollen rectum back to a normal size so it can pull back in. Heather knows more about the sugar eg how long to leave it on and such. If it is a small prolapse you can put a little Vaseline on it and try to very gently reduce it (push it back in - gently). It may not stay in if he is swollen and still having soft poops though. Oh can also just use human grade Preparation H (hemorrhoid cream) - that's what I use when my IBD fuzz gets a little prolapse. It's nice bc it not only helps reduce the swelling but it soothes as well, and provides a barrier. At the very minimum a little Vaseline or baby Desitin or Diaper ointment will help protect those sensitive tissues from dehydration and further irritation. As for your other ferret attacking him, that is unfortunate but not surprising or uncommon. It's fairly common for ferrets to ostracize or even attack a sick cage mate. In the wild, a sick animal is a liability...they put the others at risk and should be dealt with accordingly. :/ Hopefully when your boy gets to feeling better they will get along again. Please look into finding another vet... I would very much be asking for another opinion. The sooner the better. Poor baby.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 30, 2016 9:28:23 GMT -5
Also please do NOT give pepto. The formula changed a while back to an aspirin base which is NOT good for them, and can in fact cause an ulcer.
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Post by Heather on Jun 30, 2016 15:35:06 GMT -5
Sugar, white not powdered or brown. Dab crystals on the prolapse, hold ferret and snuggle for about 10 minutes. Gently dab remaining sugar, do not rub. This can be done 3x daily. ciao
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