Prolapsed rectum

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Hi all! I had to take my 2 year old female ferret to the emergency vet last night. Her anus was sticking out, size of a cherry and very bright red due to blood. She was still active. Drinking water and trying to eat (took raw chicken necks food away since I wasn’t sure what it would do but gave her soupie) before we left to the emergency clinic. She was acting normal outside of wiping her bottom on the floor. The doc said it could be from not enough fiber which confused me since she’s on a raw diet. We follow the frankenprey diet. Could it have been from bad meat, giving her a virus? He only suggested a sugar dextrose which he did and her bum is looking normal size this morning but still a little pink. The poop looks runny but normal color, she’s still on soupie. Now my 3 yr old male is having diarrhea.. super light color as if he ate too much bone and also the liquid part is yellow. Please help, we’ve been on this diet for almost half a year now and everything was perfect until recent.
Also, now that my young one is back on track after the dextrose, should I take her in or are we in the clear?

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A pic of the runny poop imgur.com/gallery/gKwUtbY

[peacexlovexpets]

I would talk to your vet about adding a fiber powder to their diet (like you do for people, where you can mix it in water/top it on food, etc.) if they think the lack of fiber is the problem. Fiber is the indigestible carbohydrates, so it isn't sugar/won't hurt to add on top of their food (won't mess with insulinoma or other diseases that are impacted by diet). Since they are on a raw diet, they actually aren't getting any fiber as fiber is an indigestible plant product (keep woods plants upright/stems strong enough to support flowers and fruits). In the wild they can consume the ingesta (gut contents) of their prey, so they naturally do have some plant material/fibers in their diet.

You can probably call your vet and leave a message/talk to them about adding the fiber as opposed to scheduling another visit. Saves you money and saves the vet time that they may need for an emergency case.

As for runny poops-I am no expert on stools, so you might have to wait for someone more experienced to give you feedback. Since the stool doesn't have visible blood or tarry (black) digested blood, I'm guessing it is just a nutrient imbalance from the excess bone that is causing the runs, not a blockage/damage to the gut.

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Oh snaps! We went to an emergency vet at a place that doesn’t regularly see exotic animals so I just assumed he was talking out his behind! After hour vets in a small town always make me nervous. Thank you for the advice! She does have another visit with someone who has removed a tumor off my older ferret tomorrow afternoon. I’ll keep that so she can see Jambi prolapse. The emergency vet said if it gets bad again it might need to be stitched up and she hasn’t gotten much better... Thank you again!

[Thérèse]

Will just reiterate the basics for anyone reading this thread. Ferrets are obligate carnivores, They have zero requirement for carbohydrates. The only question is how much can they tolerate carbohydrates. It is the differences in ability to tolerate carbohydrates that means one ferret develops insulinoma with only a little in their diet and another ferret can eat an inappropriate diet for quite some time with no obvious problems (although often there will still be insulinomas on the pancreas). Feeding carbohydrates to a ferret is rolling the insulinoma dice.

[Heather]

If stools are lax, then add bone (not bone meal either) if the stools are more solid and the ferret is constipated then add meat. There is no need for these complicated add fiber fillers. They're not necessary in a carnivore's diet and can do more harm than good. Balance your diet. Follow the menu
ciao

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Thank you for the input everyone. Her poops are better now! I was afraid to take the vets advice and adhered all of yours instead and she’s back to normal