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Post by harleyquinn2 on Dec 9, 2020 15:42:28 GMT -5
So I was told my babies have a cold (very new here). We just got them this past week. One has diarrhea which I think is finally starting to work itself out with. I’ve been giving him electrolytes due to the diarrhea as he’s been very lethargic and today he was up playing for a little while. What can I do to help my babies out? I keep fleece in their critter nation cage and I take them out and clean pans DAILY! I also clean litter box daily. What else can I do to help them? Just a concerned ferret momma here.. Thank you all!
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Post by PatienceTheVirtue on Dec 9, 2020 19:40:54 GMT -5
What do they eat? Is there any vomiting, coughing, wheezing, nasal or eye drainage - any other symptoms? What does the poop look like? Is it green or slimy?
When my guy was feeling sick I was syringe feeding him every 1-4 hours. The 4 hour interval is important for ferrets due to their high metabolism. As far as I'm aware most "colds" are going to be upper respiratory illnesses, diarrhea wouldn't be a symptom, and antibiotics are usually prescribed.
I'm also fairly new to the ferret world though so hopefully others will chime in with their wisdom shortly!
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Post by unclejoe on Dec 9, 2020 20:35:08 GMT -5
It's always a good idea ot have your new pets checked by a vet, esp ferrets. It's not really possible to diagnose over the web. Ferrets can get sick, and mostly work it out if it's just a flu, but generally as long as they eat drink and poop ok, but there are illnesses that can cause diarrhea that can be very serious.
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Post by harleyquinn2 on Dec 10, 2020 8:36:19 GMT -5
What do they eat? Is there any vomiting, coughing, wheezing, nasal or eye drainage - any other symptoms? What does the poop look like? Is it green or slimy? When my guy was feeling sick I was syringe feeding him every 1-4 hours. The 4 hour interval is important for ferrets due to their high metabolism. As far as I'm aware most "colds" are going to be upper respiratory illnesses, diarrhea wouldn't be a symptom, and antibiotics are usually prescribed. I'm also fairly new to the ferret world though so hopefully others will chime in with their wisdom shortly! Thank you! Yes coughing and sneezing. Poop is a little green, foamy, runny with little chunks in it and stringy like things (not string). No wheezing |
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Post by harleyquinn2 on Dec 10, 2020 8:37:21 GMT -5
It's always a good idea ot have your new pets checked by a vet, esp ferrets. It's not really possible to diagnose over the web. Ferrets can get sick, and mostly work it out if it's just a flu, but generally as long as they eat drink and poop ok, but there are illnesses that can cause diarrhea that can be very serious. I did, that’s why I said cold. However I do not like any vets here for exotics. They say they are very knowledgeable, but aren’t at all. |
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Post by PatienceTheVirtue on Dec 10, 2020 9:14:30 GMT -5
What do they eat? Is there any vomiting, coughing, wheezing, nasal or eye drainage - any other symptoms? What does the poop look like? Is it green or slimy? When my guy was feeling sick I was syringe feeding him every 1-4 hours. The 4 hour interval is important for ferrets due to their high metabolism. As far as I'm aware most "colds" are going to be upper respiratory illnesses, diarrhea wouldn't be a symptom, and antibiotics are usually prescribed. I'm also fairly new to the ferret world though so hopefully others will chime in with their wisdom shortly! Thank you! Yes coughing and sneezing. Poop is a little green, foamy, runny with little chunks in it and stringy like things (not string). No wheezing When sneezing is there any mucous coming out? And if yes, what color? & what litter do you use? & food? & bedding? If you use washable bedding, what kind of laundry soap do you use? Do you use candles or essential oils in the home?
Has ECE been ruled out? & what kind of progress has he made since being with you?
I know it's a lot of questions, so I'll just explain my thought process: Coughing and sneezing could be from an irritant in litter, bedding, or general environment. Essential oils, candles, fragranced laundry soap, or scented or dusty litter can be irritating to their little lungs. Could also have an issue with the food being fed causing the diarrhea (allergy, too many fillers, sudden switch in food).
Vets around here have been rough too, I found a decent one over an hour away finally. Usually I had to know my stuff and then be a strong advocate for my ferrets to get to the right actions. It's really nice to rely a bit more on them now. I hope you can find the same soon
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Post by harleyquinn2 on Dec 10, 2020 16:07:54 GMT -5
Thank you! Yes coughing and sneezing. Poop is a little green, foamy, runny with little chunks in it and stringy like things (not string). No wheezing When sneezing is there any mucous coming out? And if yes, what color? & what litter do you use? & food? & bedding? If you use washable bedding, what kind of laundry soap do you use? Do you use candles or essential oils in the home?
Has ECE been ruled out? & what kind of progress has he made since being with you?
I know it's a lot of questions, so I'll just explain my thought process: Coughing and sneezing could be from an irritant in litter, bedding, or general environment. Essential oils, candles, fragranced laundry soap, or scented or dusty litter can be irritating to their little lungs. Could also have an issue with the food being fed causing the diarrhea (allergy, too many fillers, sudden switch in food).
Vets around here have been rough too, I found a decent one over an hour away finally. Usually I had to know my stuff and then be a strong advocate for my ferrets to get to the right actions. It's really nice to rely a bit more on them now. I hope you can find the same soon
No snot or discharge from nose when sneezing. Nothing coming from mouth either. Litter idk the brand but it's like pelleted white paper for easy cleaning and seeing of pottying. I use fleece in their critter nation cage and clean it DAILY as well as their litter box. So there is lots of blankets being washed every other day. We use Tide pods with glade washing crystals (I think that's the brand. Maybe glad?) We use dryer sheets too, bounty brand. Candles and oils are used rarely! We use air freshener but only thing I've used to anything like that is my CBD vapor pen. ECE is NOT a rule out, first vet said cold, but poop doesn't look as such.. So going into another tomorrow for a second opinion. I got them both fine, they were a little sneezy n a little coughy but nun bad. Uhm he did well till day 3 where he was very lethargic with such severe diarrhea it was nun but mucus and water.. it's ok, I'll answer all I can the best I can. Just want them feeling better. They are on Marshall feed, but will be slowly changing them over to way better recommended feed tomorrow. |
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Post by harleyquinn2 on Dec 10, 2020 16:47:05 GMT -5
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Post by harleyquinn2 on Dec 11, 2020 9:18:12 GMT -5
Just an update, Finlee was dropped off at the vet just now for a second opinion. Yesterday we decided to give them cat food as we wait for their new food to come today after finding out the feed they’re getting is really bad for them (dk what all happens, but everyone says makes them really sick.) Finlee ate for once, took a poop (solid) and drank water. He played some and even stopped hiding under blankets. However we’re going to make sure the cold didn’t worsen into anything else.
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Post by PatienceTheVirtue on Dec 11, 2020 10:16:26 GMT -5
Ah yeah the picture shows it looking a bit grainy, in a raw fed ferret that would be because of a high fat meal but in a kibble fed ferret it could indicate the food is full of fillers they aren't able to digest. The food switch already sounds like it will help a ton! If it's already showing an improvement with one day, that's pretty awesome.
You might want to consider switching your laundry routine as well - there's a lot of scented stuff that could hurt their lungs, and dryer sheets as well as fabric softener aren't recommended when washing fleece for bedding purposes. It causes a build up on the fleece fibers that can be difficult to strip, making them virtually waterproof and holding in a lot of the laundry product. I'd recommend switching their bedding soap anyway because some ferrets are known to chew on their bedding at times and laundry pods are toxic to pets. There's a poison control page about it, and some posts on other ferret forums about ferrets passing away from it. With the product being stuck to the fibers, they can get toxic levels just from nibbling it.
If you did want to strip the bedding of the laundry soap build up, you can wash it in hot water with a touch of bleach or some vinegar. It takes a few washes before the coating is gone but you can use it in the mean time since it's not as important to strip it than if you had a pet that wasn't litter trained.. Unless they're chewing, then strip it ASAP. If you want to test the fleece you would put some water on it, and if the water goes through the fibers aren't holding the product - if the water just sits on top it'll need to be washed again. (Basically with product build up in the fibers, if they were to have an accident the pee would sit on top instead of going through to the bottom and it would go all over the cage)
I think one of the most recommended brands of laundry soap is All Free and Clear. Most hypoallergenic, sensitive skin, baby-safe laundry soaps will be okay to use.
I hope the vet can provide some decent answers! And I hope you enjoy the experience, finding a vet that knows their stuff feels like the heavens splitting open and angels singing. Sooo helpful. Good luck!
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Post by harleyquinn2 on Dec 11, 2020 12:25:34 GMT -5
Ah yeah the picture shows it looking a bit grainy, in a raw fed ferret that would be because of a high fat meal but in a kibble fed ferret it could indicate the food is full of fillers they aren't able to digest. The food switch already sounds like it will help a ton! If it's already showing an improvement with one day, that's pretty awesome. You might want to consider switching your laundry routine as well - there's a lot of scented stuff that could hurt their lungs, and dryer sheets as well as fabric softener aren't recommended when washing fleece for bedding purposes. It causes a build up on the fleece fibers that can be difficult to strip, making them virtually waterproof and holding in a lot of the laundry product. I'd recommend switching their bedding soap anyway because some ferrets are known to chew on their bedding at times and laundry pods are toxic to pets. There's a poison control page about it, and some posts on other ferret forums about ferrets passing away from it. With the product being stuck to the fibers, they can get toxic levels just from nibbling it. If you did want to strip the bedding of the laundry soap build up, you can wash it in hot water with a touch of bleach or some vinegar. It takes a few washes before the coating is gone but you can use it in the mean time since it's not as important to strip it than if you had a pet that wasn't litter trained.. Unless they're chewing, then strip it ASAP. If you want to test the fleece you would put some water on it, and if the water goes through the fibers aren't holding the product - if the water just sits on top it'll need to be washed again. (Basically with product build up in the fibers, if they were to have an accident the pee would sit on top instead of going through to the bottom and it would go all over the cage) I think one of the most recommended brands of laundry soap is All Free and Clear. Most hypoallergenic, sensitive skin, baby-safe laundry soaps will be okay to use. I hope the vet can provide some decent answers! And I hope you enjoy the experience, finding a vet that knows their stuff feels like the heavens splitting open and angels singing. Sooo helpful. Good luck! Thank you so much! So would draft be safe since it’s baby safe? |
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Post by unclejoe on Dec 11, 2020 12:40:51 GMT -5
I'm glad that you're trying a second vet. I have had a couple vets that were exotic trained but didn't see many ferrets and they were willing to work with me and do their own research on topics I suggested regarding suspected health conditions. Hopefully you'll find a good one and I hope Finlee
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Post by harleyquinn2 on Dec 11, 2020 15:39:15 GMT -5
Ok so vet said Finlee’s lungs and heart, and everything sounded good. Was not sensitive to his G.I. tract when she was feeling around. The diarrhea was most likely from the food, but they are collecting stool sample for parasite check. So just a cold and to watch him over next few days  |
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Post by PatienceTheVirtue on Dec 13, 2020 20:57:43 GMT -5
I took a look at the ingredients of the Dreft line of laundry detergent, it looks like the only one without fragrance is the Stage 1 kind, if that helps at all! I also like to double check products with the EWG: www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/6112-DreftStage1NewbornDetergent/ It's not a great rating even for humans but if it's the only thing available in your area it'll be less toxic than the tide pods at least. |
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