Suspect Partial Blockage, NO ER VET, TERRIFIED

[jellybelly]

One of my little ones is showing symptoms of partial blockage and I am scared to death.  There is no ER vet in my area that I can afford, so the earliest he can get in will be tomorrow.  

He is a Wardy male, 2 years old.  We just adopted him and his companion about a month ago, so unfortunatly I have no idea what his health history is.  Previous owner was gone alot, and as far as she knew, he had never had any issues.  He has had loose stools, with undisgested fats on and off.  He was quite thin when we got him, but is putting on weight.  He is currently eating Marshalls made into a paste, twice a day with Higgins dry as free feed. (we are working on switching off the marshalls)  Before he came to us, he was on exclusively dry Higgins. 

A couple weeks ago, he vomited.  No other symptoms, we forgot about it.  Then a couple days ago, he did it again, and some foamy fluid came out.  But again, no other symptoms, then yesterday he dry heaved, and today he has been dry heaving.  He is pooping, but its loose with undisgested fats and his belly feels bloated.  

I have read, having no previous experience with Waardys that they are prone to IBD and other intestional issues.  I thought about pumpkin, then read it could kill him if it was a blockage and it moved it.  I have given him some lax, (which could be the diarreha), the bloating goes down when he poops but comes back quite quickly.  He has gagged several times, but not thrown up.  I am considering mineral oil, or salmon oil.  

He seems to feel fine, and is active and acting normal.  I am scared out of my wits, this is literally my worst nightmare.  Any advice is welcome.

[unclejoe]

late i know, but pooping is good and it's probably not a blockage. Ferrets can get digestive ailments like people. Get him to the vet. It may be treatable with some meds. If you can, bring a recent poop sample. Best wishes for quick recovery.

[jellybelly]

Thank you for your response. We are currently trying to decide if it is safe to wait for his vet appt. Monday morning, or if we should run him to Cornell (and pay the no exotic on weekends emergency prices). He seems better today, the bloating is largely gone, he is eating, pooping and playing normally. Last night after his dinner, he flew out of bed and had some foamy vomit, and a ton of diarrhea. The diarrhea was most likely caused by my filling him with laxatives because I was worried about blockages. So far today no vomit. Our current thought is to wait for monday as long as he does not vomit, and go to Cornell if he does. Any thoughts? I sadly have no ferret keeper friends, and all my babies have been healthy until now, so I have no idea what kind of symptoms are normal stomach bug symptoms for them. I have tried to research it, but the internet just keeps telling me he is dying. Have any of yours ever gone through something like this? Sorry for the book of a response, and thank you again for your help.

[unclejoe]

right now it's very important to keep him hydrated, so make sure he is drinking and quit the laxatives.
You say he's pooping normally now? I assume that means its's more firm and normal color?
We did have something like this once, or twice, but it was not severe. i dont want to pretend to diagnose, but ours recovered with some antibiotics and carafate for 5 days

[jellybelly]

He has kept all his meals down today, and his belly feels normal again. His poops are normal for him, thick dark brown and sizeable. He is also drinking and peeing normally. I dont want to get ahead of myself and jinx it, but I am hoping it was just a bad bout of Wally belly (he's wally, and has a sensitive stomach). I appreciate any practical wisdom on the subject you can give, whenever you seek to google anything about an upset belly on a ferret, the internet will convince you yours is dying. While I understand the need for urgency and ferret tummies, its terrifying. So just hearing that someone had a good outcome brings some much needed levity to the situation, thank you again.

[unclejoe]

yeah I know. I quit my first ferret group on craigslist, bc people there we so intense that new ferret owners were slapped around for silly stuff like being in the laundry room. omg he could go in the washer or dryer.  knowing nothing about the ferret or ferrant.  I soooo wanted to moderate that group, but I was kinda new too.  I just couldn't take it.
We've had a couple wally's, and they didn't seem to mind what we fed everyone else, but allergies are possible in any fert,chicken being most common, and when a virus/cold comes into the house, someone has to be first to present signs. it's never wrong to get a vet opinion. it could be nothing but you are the one who sees him daily. I've had kats, dogs, turtles, gerbils, crabs, shrimp, fish, and even crawdads, and none ever panicked me like ferrets. some of it was what I read, and some was how much they get into your psyche and heart. When these 2 are gone, I will be a different person. 
it sounds like yours  is doing ok, but a vet check is peace of mind, if you have a good vet

additional: 2 of our 4 wally's were deaf.  they didn't know it so we didn't tell them.  they were ok.  2 were kinda loners, except for 1 or 2 friends, and were often spotted shadow boxing or playing alone. They are who they are