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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 2:31:18 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 2:31:18 GMT -5
i am really worried about my female ferret Luna. I got her a week ago from some girl in Craigslist. Well tonight she did this thing like she choking... she went wild clawing at her mouth but nothing was there.. she kept dry heaving and choking. After these spells were over she got a bit lethargic.. she is always hyper and she is just curled up in the hammock with her cage mate.. i took her out briefly and for the first time ever she just layed there with out squirming. I know she is young but the girl that sold her and her cage mate to me didn't give me much info on my fuzzies. I am also a first time ferret owner so this episode scared the crud out of me. Is she going to be ok?
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 2:47:03 GMT -5
Post by Heather on Oct 17, 2012 2:47:03 GMT -5
Was she eating anything at the time? Is she pooping? Peeing? How many times has this happened? Is she eating well? How old did this person tell you she was? These are pertinent questions and might assist us in discovering what might be wrong. Generally, if you're worried then it's a good idea to take your little one to the vet. Her choking could be anything from some fur in her throat to a blockage. We will help you if we can but we need more information ciao
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 5:34:03 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 5:34:03 GMT -5
Yes sounds like something to take seriously, keep us posted if you can.
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 5:36:02 GMT -5
Post by sierratheferret on Oct 17, 2012 5:36:02 GMT -5
I may be new to ferrets as well, maybe im in no disposition to advice.. but if you have any vaseline or ferret lax, offer it to her and get to the vet asap. I hope its nothing serious Hope to hear some updates soon~
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 6:26:24 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 6:26:24 GMT -5
All the previous owner had said was she was under a year. Researching the teeth and check age that way she is still young. I also looked up what the poo should look like and that is normal as well. She is still peeing and pooping. I am not sure if she was eating at the time. She was in her cage when it started though. I took her out and she quit.. i looked inside and didn't see anything as well ad massaging the throat area .. at one point i held her unpside down while slightly patting between the shoulder blades. Since the episode i added water to her food to moisten it as well. This is the first time it has happened since i had her. The episode was on and off for about 10 minutes then she curled up to sleep. She did get a little excited when i squeaked her toy but layed back down after.
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 7:18:35 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 7:18:35 GMT -5
when you say she was choking, do you mean a hacking type sound or a continual throaty cough? At the moment ours ar shedding their winter coat so there is a bit of hacking from fur getting caught when they groom eachother but they never paw at their mouths. The only time mine do that is if they get a piece of bone caught in their teeth and cant get it out.
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 7:34:25 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 7:34:25 GMT -5
My three had very similar "symptoms" when we moved into our new house and they tasted what I have to assume was pesticide sprayed along the inside perimeter. When they have a very bad taste in their mouths, the reaction is quite visceral. They foamed, they hacked and they pawed at their mouths until they were bleeding. The only other time i've seen any mouth pawing was when Jack got a piece of rabbit bone stuck in his teeth.
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 10:48:40 GMT -5
Post by Heather on Oct 17, 2012 10:48:40 GMT -5
One thing to consider is that with all her switching of homes and such, she may have become stressed and is developing an ulcer. Just watch and see if she has another episode. Like it was mentioned it is the season for shedding and these wee ones are groomers, so hair can become an issue. A bit of pumpkin might also help her to pass the hair (just plain, not pumpkin pie mix). If her lethargy continues and she's not into playing I would be taking her to a vet, ulcers are common in our little ones. ciao
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 11:57:53 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 11:57:53 GMT -5
That reaction sounds like what my Loki did when he ate a pesticide loaded bug outside. Keep an eye on her, make sure she has lots of fresh, clean water available, and be ready to head to the Vets ASAP.
~Kelli
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 13:42:42 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 13:42:42 GMT -5
She seems totally fine today.. back to her old self. She is running, jumping, and playing gosh was i scared. I came across this forum in a panicked Google session and i am so glad i did. Às a first time owner i am sure you will see more of me lol. Thank you so much for the help and if any thing changes i will update.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 17, 2012 14:05:15 GMT -5
I'm so glad your little one is fine They do love to scare us! And yes, please stick around and feel free to ask anything.
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 14:36:26 GMT -5
Post by bitbyter on Oct 17, 2012 14:36:26 GMT -5
Wait until your first experience with FDS (Ferret Dead Sleep).
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 15:11:08 GMT -5
Post by Heather on Oct 17, 2012 15:11:08 GMT -5
Now that's just cruel ;D ciao
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 15:21:47 GMT -5
Post by katt on Oct 17, 2012 15:21:47 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! I think your little one just did that to scare you so you could fine us! Your ferrets appear to be adorable btw, but I think I need to see a few more pictures to really be sure... ;D As for the symptoms, it could be stress causing an ulcer like Heather said, but it could also be a hairball. Is she shedding? I know Kenai is blowing his coat right now and shedding like mad. Such a mess.... When they are in shed they are particularly prone to getting hairballs...
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Choking
Oct 17, 2012 15:39:23 GMT -5
Post by miamiferret2 on Oct 17, 2012 15:39:23 GMT -5
that sounds like it could be anything from an ulcer to a blockage to a hairball to a piece of kibble that went down the wrong pipe or got stuck on the roof of her mouth.
was she eating right before? i have seen them act like that when they choke on a piece of dry kibble. could also be ulcers due to stress of being schlepped around to a new home. if she is not having a good appetite, give her some Rescue Remedy from Bachs. also give some pepcid a/c (1 ten milligram tablet dissolved in 10 cc of water and give .25 cc twice a day). you can also try kaopectate vanilla flavor .25 cc three times a day to see if that soothes her stomach.
keep an eye on her poops. if you see black tarry poops, little black coffee ground looking things, could be that she has a bleeding ulcer and needs to go to the vet for antibiotics and carafate liquid.
soft foods are good during times like this. if you can get some canned a/d from the vet. or beechnut baby food (just turkey or chicken with broth) and very important to keep her well hydrated. mix about 1/4 teaspoon of a green olive oil in the food. clear pedialyte will keep her hydrated.
for hairballs, give 1 teaspoon of pumpkin (libby's canned pure pumpkin) twice a day for two or three days. check poops for hairballs being passed through. you can also give a glob of vaseline if you suspect that she has some hairs that she is not passing.
always make sure that she is urinating and pooping. if you see small poops on kibble, that is not normal. little thin poops on kibble are also not normal. kibble poops are normally bulky, big and fat.
yet another reason why i don't feed kibble... ;D
a vet visit may be in order if you see that she continues to have the same symptoms. and if you don't see any poops, if she stops urinating, or if she stops eating/drinking, that becomes an emergency situation and needs to go to vet ASAP.
don't wait with ferrets because they go downhill very fast.
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