Loose stools

[pepperlepew]

Hello! My 9 month old female ferret (Marshall) has been having loose poops the last 5 days or so. Not exactly diarrhea but not her normal poos. Some mucus, and today a little foamy.

We feed her InTune ferret kibble (grain-free, high protein/fat, very low fiber) and we haven’t changed her diet at all. No new treats, no new foods and there isn’t anything I can think of that she got into— but you never know, she is mischievous and good at sneaking naughtiness into every play time.

I called our emergency vet (the only one in Bozeman MT that knows anything about ferrets) and am waiting to hear back but wondering in the meantime if there’s anything I can do to help slow her poop down, or help her diarrhea.

I’ve been putting water directly in her kibble and also been giving her water with a syringe to try to make sure she stays hydrated. She also tends to drink liberally throughout the day as well.

She’s still playful and wants to run around. She’s still eating and drinking. Still going to the bathroom.

I’m just worried.

Any advice helps! I also took several pictures of her poops but can’t figure out how to post them here.

TIA,
Peppers mom

[brittanyb]

Hi there! I took one of my ferrets to the vet for loose stools just a couple weeks ago, and our exotic vet recommended something called a Ferret Diarrhea PCR. Apparently it's a more advanced fecal panel which tests for things like helicobacter and ECE in addition to testing for intestinal parasites. I'm glad we opted to do it, because we found out that she did indeed have an overgrowth of the helicobacter bacteria. She's taking antibiotics as well as probiotics, and she's showing a lot of improvement!

I don't know if your vet offers this service, but if not they can probably refer you to someone who does. Our vet charged $192 for the test.

I hope you get some answers and that your furbaby feels better soon!

[pepperlepew]

Jan 2, 2021 21:07:33 GMT -5 brittanyb said:

Hi there! I took one of my ferrets to the vet for loose stools just a couple weeks ago, and our exotic vet recommended something called a Ferret Diarrhea PCR. Apparently it's a more advanced fecal panel which tests for things like helicobacter and ECE in addition to testing for intestinal parasites. I'm glad we opted to do it, because we found out that she did indeed have an overgrowth of the helicobacter bacteria. She's taking antibiotics as well as probiotics, and she's showing a lot of improvement!

I don't know if your vet offers this service, but if not they can probably refer you to someone who does. Our vet charged $192 for the test.

I hope you get some answers and that your furbaby feels better soon!

Wow, I’ll ask. I’m feeding her baby food mixed with pedialyte until I hear back from the vet to cut back on dehydration... did your vet say where your little girl picked up the bacteria?

[brittanyb]

She said that it's a naturally occurring bacteria in ferrets' digestive tracts, but that it can grow out of control when the ferret is under stress. We just adopted our girl from a high-stress situation in an unsanitary environment, so we think that's how she ended up with the bacterial overgrowth.

Your little one could just have a simple gut imbalance. My vet says she sees it a lot in ferrets, and she's had a lot of success just adding a daily probiotic to their food for a few weeks or so. The PCR should reveal if your ferret needs antibiotics for anything as well. Either way, it's great that she's alert and active, and good job keeping her hydrated! I'm sure she's going to be just fine.

[pepperlepew]

Thank you so much!!

[Corvidophile]

It does sound like bacterial overgrowth. Keeping her hydrated is smart, but watch out for the sugar in Pedialyte, I’d stick with watered down grinds or baby food as the source of extra moisture.

[pepperlepew]

Jan 3, 2021 10:41:57 GMT -5 Corvidophile said:

It does sound like bacterial overgrowth. Keeping her hydrated is smart, but watch out for the sugar in Pedialyte, I’d stick with watered down grinds or baby food as the source of extra moisture.

Ok! I’ve just read so many people and vets suggest pedialyte. The type I got is only 6g sugars per human serving which is 12oz and she’s only getting 1/2 tbs at a time mixed with baby food for the electrolytes which is .12g of sugar every 4 hours... But maybe I will alternate giving her watered down baby food and baby food with the pedialyte just to be safe! Thank you 😊

[pepperlepew]

Is it because the bacteria will eat the sugars? Is there anything better I can giver her that will prevent dehydration? Or just the watered down baby food and her normal food mixed with water?

[Corvidophile]

The bacteria will thrive on added sugar, yeah. She will also likely be getting more sugar from starches added into probiotics to feed and stabilize the eubacteria, but that’ll be unavoidable if you treat her with them, which is a good idea in my opinion. Also it’s a little more stress on her pancreas to produce more insulin, and they’re prone to insulinoma as a pet. Vets will often suggest things that are great for dogs (who do digest sugars a bit better than ferrets) out of ignorance.

The water alone added to the baby food will do the trick of hydrating her, and she’ll be getting all the nutrients she needs from her food if her appetite is still good. Pedialyte is a better choice for critters who have stopped eating, to give them the electrolytes they’d normally get in food. It can also be used to entice drinking if the critter has stopped because it tastes good.

[brittanyb]

I agree with being careful on the Pedialyte and only using it if necessary. You can test for dehydration by gently pinching the skin at the back of your ferret's neck (like you would if you were scruffing her) and releasing it. If the skin stays where it is or goes back down very slowly, she's likely dehydrated. Another test is to look at her gums. They should be pink and moist (not pale and/or dry). If she passes these tests, she's probably getting enough water and you don't need the Pedialyte.

Did you ever hear back from the vet?

[pepperlepew]

Thanks guys!! I’ll get rid of the pedialyte!! I haven’t heard back from the vet yet, I’m thinking she’s out for the New Year. I will call the regular office tomorrow morning to bring Pepper in.

She passed both dehydration tests and is definitely as feisty and playful as ever. Poops are still not looking great but at least she still has a healthy appetite and wants to drink lots of water until we get to the doc tomorrow.

Thanks for all the good advice and encouragement. This is the second scare we’ve had with her and I don’t want to take any chances with her health, she’s our precious little babe.

I think we will be adopting a second little dude who lost his companion about a month and a half ago so they can be buddies! I will create another post soon to ask for advice with that too.

Happy Sunday!

[brittanyb]

I'm glad to hear that she doesn't seem to be feeling under the weather, despite the loose stools. Let us know how her vet visit goes.

And I think that getting her a companion is an excellent idea! Ferrets always do best in pairs or groups, and let's face it, it's hard to stop at just one anyway! Lol. Just be sure to do a two-week quarantine with the new addition in a separate room of the house and take him to the vet for a checkup (and a fecal!) before introducing the two of them. I'm excited for you!

[pepperlepew]

So Pepper is with the vet right now. She’s being given a hydration pack and getting started on antibiotics. She has a fever so they will also prescribe an anti-inflammatory medication for her. We’re doing a PCR as well to figure out what bacteria or issue we need to treat.

Thanks for all the help!

Any probiotics I can give Pepper?

[Corvidophile]

Ferrets take well to lactobacillus mixtures, you can buy probiotics for pets either from vet offices, online, or even in some pharmacies but you can use powdered capsules for humans as well. Open up the capsule into a small container you can close and mix the powder with a few drops of salmon oil, use it up over the course of a few days, and keep this up for the duration of the antibiotic or two weeks, whichever is longer. There is no risk of overdose with probiotics, but past a certain amount you’re not going to see greater benefit either. Give it an hour or so after the antibiotics once or twice a day (so the antibiotics don’t kill it all in the stomach).

[brittanyb]

I was able to get probiotics for my girl from her vet. You've probably left your vet clinic by now, but you could call and ask about coming back to pick them up.