Ferret not eating or drinking on his own suddenly

[thylafritter]

Last night I noticed that Kiwi’s water dish was unusually full. He’s always been a ferret that drains his water and food quickly. I realized I hadn’t HEARD him drinking or eating that night. Only going to the restroom.

I checked his litterbox and although he had plenty of poops they were all very small and yellow in color.

At first I suspected depression. His brother had to be euthanized recently and Joby was Kiwi’s whole world. But I think something may be seriously wrong.

I’ve gotten him to drink water by making a very watery soupie with duck soup. I’m going to attempt to make a thicker soupie and see if I can get that in him but I dont have high hopes.
His poo turned brown for 3-4 poos when he got some soupie water in him but it’s back to yellow. Each time it’s much less than his usual. He’s very lethargic and just not his usual self. He’s still very aware and snuggly and ready to explore.

I’m panicking if I’m being honest. The only vet that treats ferrets in our area doesn’t take payment plans and we’ve barely been making it. If I absolutely have to I will put everything towards getting my baby seen by our vet monday but I’m hoping he’ll begin eating before then.

Does anyone have any advice on what could be happening???
He DID swallow a bit of a piece of his plush toy last week but it completely passed through and was seen in his poo and followed by very healthy poops. I didn’t notice any changes to his eating/drinking or pooping until 7-8 days after that incident, so I don’t know if it’s related.

[thylafritter]

Update: He’s slurping down the duck soup soupie no issue!! He also ate a full egg yesterday without issue. I don’t know whats going on???

Second Edit: I decided to try a trick we used to use for his brother (Who had a very small appetite all his life) and put some of his kibble (Wysong epigen) in his bed and he started chowing before I even removed my hand??
I know he’s had issues with whisker fatigue before but we changed his bowls to accommodate that. His food bowl is large enough to fit two ferrets (A large dog bowl made to attach to kennels) and he has a smaller water bowl with a water bottle above it that drips into the bowl. I have no idea what’s going on since he’s willing to eat and drink when assisted???

Third Edit: It's now been 9ish hours since I first posted. I've been giving Kiwi some VERY watery soupie every 3-4 hours. Just warm water and a tiny bit of duck soup to get him drinking. He's been drinking it really well. 
I put some more kibble in his bed and he munched down at least 15 or so pieces before he fell asleep.
I walked in the room just now and he's up by his food bowl absolutely chowing on the kibble. 

Is there a possibility it's depression related after all??
It was really sudden and it's been about a month since his brother crossed the rainbow bridge. Plus I recently had to take away his favorite toy until we can get a replacement since he tore it open. 

[unclejoe]

It could be depression but a month seems like a long time for that.

Check this chart and see if anything looks familiar. A vet consult might be in order

holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/2469/poop-chart

[thylafritter]

Out of those it looks more mucousy, Jelly-like or foamy. It's pretty watery and yellow or brown. He's been going pretty often and the last poo was out of the litterbox and pretty large compared to what he's been doing.

I took him out to play in the play pen and he wandered for a bit and lay down to nap, and now I'm unable to get him to stand up on his own. I've got him in my lap and I'm contacting family and friends to get the funds to rush him to the vet tomorrow. His breathing is normal. He reacts to you touching his nose, paws, etc.
He's got these weird head jerks that he's doing really inconsistently every few minutes now. They can be really small like an eye twitch or really large like a really bad hiccup. It's full body sometimes.

I don't feel any lumps in his body. It's the first thing I checked for, since Joby passed from Insulinoma. His entire midsection is very squishy and I feel nothing abnormal. Should I still try giving him some corn syrup to see if it helps to rule it out?

[Corvidophile]

Try the corn syrup to see if he perks up, sure. One dose of it won’t hurt him if it’s the wrong idea and will help a lot if it’s the right one. Insulinoma doesn’t always present as a mass on the pancreas, it’s more often bunches of tiny tumors in the islets. Mine had insulinoma for years and never grew a palpable mass, just had low blood sugar.

[thylafritter]

Alright, I gave him a little glob of it and he slurped it up without an issue. I didn't need to put it on his gums. He's responsive but not himself.

IF it helps, could it also be short term low blood sugar from how little he's been eating?

[thylafritter]

So far I'm seeing absolutely no difference in him. I don't think it's blood sugar related. ;;

[thylafritter]

He's finally more responsive than he was. I'm making an appointment for the Vet first thing in the morning. They're closed today.

He's walking around sluggishly but walking.
He drank more duck soup for me and he's been nibbling at his kibble. Pooped again for me too.

The best way I can get him to eat right now is putting it in his bed with him. It annoys him and it used to annoy his brother too so they just ate it.

When he was drinking earlier he did spit up a little bit of the water? Like about a tablespoon and a half.
He ate immediately after so I don't think it was an upset belly but just mentioning it to be safe. I think he just gulped down too much at once.

Hoping things go well for little Wiiwii Man
I'll update if anything new happens or when we get word from the Vet.

[thylafritter]

Set an alarm to wake up halfway through the night to give him some watered down Duck soup to make sure he drinks. As soon as I went in the room he popped his head up immediately like he used to and I’m not going to lie it really got my hopes up. He hasn’t done that since this started.
I went to give him his soupie and he immediately started gulping it down but a horrible new symptom popped up. He’s unable to stand or sit without falling over. He slowly goes off to one side until he falls. I had to support him so he could drink without collapsing.
He seems much more alert and was really excited about the soupie but this new symptom is terrifying.
We’re making an appointment for him as soon as the vet opens. God I hope it’s something they can easily treat for him. It’s so disheartening seeing the sturdy healthy and energetic boy I’ve loved for years suddenly become the opposite in just a few days.

[thylafritter]

We went to the vet today!

Kiwi has a Viral or Bacterial infection in his tummy and colon, possibly a mix of both.
He's been given an antibiotic as well as nausea meds.
We've been told to give him pedialite and duck soup mixed to help get his water intake.

Anyone know anything else we can do to help him be more comfortable while he recovers??

[Corvidophile]

The meds should work fast, just keep him hydrated and eating as much as you can. You can give probiotics an hour after antibiotics to help rebuild good bacteria in his gut. Either buy a paste designed for cats, or buy human acidophilus lactobacillus powder caplets, split them open, and mix a third to half the contents with something tasty, like salmon oil or even just mix it into the duk soup.

[thylafritter]

Gotcha! Thank you so much for the advice.
Should I keep giving him his weekly egg through this or hold off on that since he's already got the runs? I don't know if the extra protein and vitamins would help or not right now.
We picked up some Pedialyte and I mixed it with his soupie to get him as hydrated as I can.
Waiting for him to use the restroom to give him the next dose of medicine.

I didn't wait for that this morning and let's say he thought the medicine tasted so bad he became a water fountain for a few seconds. I've tried mixing it with duck soup or salmon oil and he refuses it so we're back to syringe meds.

How often should I be giving him the Pedialyte and Duck soup mixture? Just a couple times a day or more on a schedule? I don't want him getting dehydrated again.

[Corvidophile]

I would do it at least every six hours, so four times a day. More if you’re home for it. They go through fluids fast when they’re having diarrhea. Keep giving egg if he isn’t eating other food just to boost the calorie intake, but if he’s on more solid foods then leave it out until he’s having solid stools otherwise.

[thylafritter]

So far Kiwi's stools are looking MUCH better. I'm giving him his weekly egg tomorrow morning after his medication.
He's still got a really gassy belly and I think that may be why he's not having much of an apetite on his own. Is there anything you'd recommend to help his tummy get rid of the gas?
He's getting rid of it but only when he uses his litterbox. His belly swells up a bit right before and goes down immediately after. Would massaging his tummy or putting warmth on it help at all?

I've started giving him the Pedialyte every 6 hours with duck soup and ground kibble to keep him eating. It's not that he isn't hungry, he chows on his food and sometimes he'll chow on his kibble for a few minutes and then suddenly stop like his tummy hurts.

[abbeytheferret6]

when my Buddy ate kibble he did not eat like how a dog does---you know a bunch at a time but would eat just a few pieces and come back later.

This is something about bloat you night can find some other things on vet sites
www.thesprucepets.com/ferret-bloat-1238685#:~:text=Bloat%2C%20gastric%20dilatation%2Dvolvulus%2C,air%20builds%20in%20the%20stomach.