|
Post by katt on Nov 28, 2010 1:04:25 GMT -5
So Kenai's poop was better, but now it is worse. The tonight when eh was sleeping he kept on flinging himself around frantically then going quiet again. I just laughed thinking he was reaming or whatever. But then he woke up and got all frantic. Thinking he had to potty, I put him in the box and he starts gagging and hacking! *flashbacks!!!!* He didn't throw up, but he ran across the room before I could catch him, gagged/hacked some more. Then I caught him and offered him water which he would not drink. So I put him in the box again (to catch anything he threw up) and he pooped kind of sloppy poop, and was crying while he pooped! My poor little baby Kenai! I don't THINK he ate anything, I mean if our rooms are Koda proofed, they are pretty much as chew-proofed as can be - though it is possible he has been eating the towel in his cage and I didn't notice? (Today was my first day back at work after a 2 day break while having him home). But my two thoughts are this: 1) could he be sensitive to chicken that he has been eating? He WAS doing fine.... 2) Wed (his second night home?) I had some people over and one of them brought their kid. The kid was coughing. I called my friend and the kid was sick about a week and a half ago. Perhaps she was still getting over it, and with all of the stress, Kenai caught it? He has been acting active and such like normal otherwise, sleeping a lot but playing a lot and eating a lot too... Thoughts?
|
|
|
Post by Jackie on Nov 28, 2010 1:25:36 GMT -5
Could it be a hairball?
Also, maybe you could check the ingredients of the kibble he was on in the pet store. If chicken was a main ingredient, I wouldn't think it's a chicken sensitivity.
Was the color/consistency of the stool anything to be alarmed about?
Hope Kenai gets better!
|
|
|
Post by katt on Nov 28, 2010 1:29:31 GMT -5
Yes, it was very seedy and mucousy and runny. Not watery runny, mucousy runny. And the kibble he was on at the store was, of course, Marshall's.
|
|
|
Post by sherrylynne on Nov 28, 2010 1:44:26 GMT -5
It's quite likely he just had a hair stuck in his throat. Now that he's eating raw(mostly), he's going to be shedding like mad. And even that(as well as the new home) is going to be stressful for him. Which is going to affect his poops. I really don't think I'd be freaking out just yet Add that to the fact it takes longer than a day for even ferrets to contract and develop the flu virus.
|
|
|
Post by katt on Nov 28, 2010 1:48:58 GMT -5
I hope that is the case. He cried when he pooped though, like it hurt to poop. And I checked with my friend and the little girl had been on antibiotics and finished them Sunday so by Wed she was not contagious. I am not freaking out per say, but I am...concerned. I'm worried about my new little buddy not feeling well during his first week home.
|
|
|
Post by sherrylynne on Nov 28, 2010 1:59:52 GMT -5
If he was passing some hair, it may indeed have been uncomfortable for him! Maybe try some pumpkin with him, see how he does, and how he feels following.
|
|
|
Post by katt on Nov 28, 2010 2:20:34 GMT -5
He threw up a little. It looks like saliva and mucous pretty much and wasn't very much. He also has diarrhea just like his first night when he ate the scarf. Could he have been sick with something this whole time? If so Koda's already been exposed. Koda seems ok, poops good, but he still isn't eating much... Both have seemed ok the last few days though. I notice when he poops he has the tiniest bit of prolapse (goes back in when he is done). Could the diet change have been too sudden for him? I switched Koda cold turkey as an 8 week old kit with no problems. I will give him lots of pumpkin tonight, and a little Vaseline in case he does have a hairball or ate something. (He had the green sloppy poop when he ate my scarf....maybe the same thing is going on? I will make him some soupies too. Poor little guy. His nose is cold and wet, so no fever, and he won't drink water. Which worries me bc I don't want him to dehydrate. He won't even lick it off my fingers... He has been getting chicken wing, breast, gizzard, bone, ground beef (not today though (and bone), the occasional pinch of flax, and squashes for fiber. But less squash since getting bones...none today in fact.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Nov 28, 2010 2:34:25 GMT -5
I know that when we brought Napoleon home, he played hard for a couple of days, then he got sick. He was too young, so stressed. I made sure he stayed hydrated and hand fed him (he stopped eating). He whimpered a lot but didn't cry, not like your little guy. His poops were really gross green and seedy. I thought ECE. This was Mischief's baby....my Mischief was already immune compromised. I was really afraid that I had infected my business. I had 17 ferrets in house at the time. No one else got sick. In a week, Napoleon started playing again, sleeping less. The stress is brutal. I only used soupy and rescue remedy. The guys would climb into the playpen and sleep and nuzzle Napoleon. As Napoleon started to feel better he would play with them, then they taught him how to climb out of the playpen. Dehydration is the biggest fear for your little one. Watch him closely. Watch for fever. Ferrets find it very difficult to vomit, they find this very stressful. That's why your little Kenai, was so desperate. Vomiting and poops can lead to dehydration in babies very quickly (I don't have to tell you this, you know this, it's just a reminder ) Please keep us posted on your little one's status ciao
|
|
|
Post by katt on Nov 28, 2010 2:47:43 GMT -5
Green, seedy poops....sounds about right. Well green or seedy. It is like green and watery-mucousy (like real slop), or seedy mucousy. The green poop is too liquid to even be seedy. Should I keep raw in the soupies, or all cooked meat for now? With Koda I have never used cooked meat, but since he has just switched perhaps cooked would be gentler? Luckily I have tomorrow off (noo lab! Yaaay!) and will just be home studying so I will keep a close eye on him. I will hand feed him some soupies before bed, and first thing in the morning. I'll move his cage closer to my bed too so I can hear him. Poor little guy is just snoozing in my sweatshirt and has been for several hours now. I went to Paw Prince today to get Rabbit meat. I felt like I was forgetting something, but they were still out of lamb...well I know what I forgot!!!! Rescue Remedy! *face palm* I will have Shane pick some up on his was over tomorrow if they are open. Do you think it would be more effective to put it on his ear, nose, or water? And how many drops? (same question for Koda). That is good to know about Napoleon. Hopefully it is just stress. Poor baby. I noticed that his front bottom teeth (between the fangs) are crooked. They make a checked pattern almost perfectly with the 4 teeth. I would thinks that either means he has crooked teeth, or is younger than I think and just getting his teeth in. Thoughts on that? If he is younger than 8 weeks then that would make sense as to why he is having a harder time than Koda ever did/ Obviously each ferret is different though and Koda didn't have a big older bully fert to scrabble with either... Right now I am just giving lots and lots of snuggles!
|
|
|
Post by katt on Nov 28, 2010 3:03:14 GMT -5
The pumpkin will help with the little bit of prolapse when he poops right? Should I rube a little Vaseline on his bum? I know that that can help with a little prolapse, but since it goes back in after he poops....?
|
|
|
Post by katt on Nov 28, 2010 8:11:26 GMT -5
Well Kenai slept almost the entire remaining time we were at Shane's/ Got home anout an hour or two ago and he had a nice poop - actually pretty solid. Maybe he was stressed about something? He and Koda were tousling in the kennel on the way there, maybe it freaked him out? He did poop in the kennel on the way, but it was when I stopped to get Rabbit. I took Koda in and left Kenai in the carrier since I knew I was just going in and out and I thought it would give them a break since there was a lot of...noise...coming from the cage. I got back and my car smelled. So, knowing what the smell meant, I just carried Koda on a TIGHT leash the rest of the ride. HE pooped after Koda was gone, so I don't think Koda terrorized him, andi t was ok poop too. Not great, or even good, but not green liquid! Anyways, I made a raw soupy. I put in about 50:50. I didn't measure exactly but I veered towards more rabbit rather than more rabbit. Anyhways, I added lots of canned pumpkin, and lots of water.Koda gobbled it right up, Kenai would only lick it if my finger after some convincing. Finally he would take it from the bowl but he didn't eat much. I left a little in the cage with a tiny bit of Flax for Kenai. Koda will wait until the morning,
|
|
|
Post by mustelidmusk on Nov 28, 2010 11:58:06 GMT -5
I suspect Kenai is stressed out. He may also have a bacterial overload from exposure to more and different bacteria. His system is learning to adjust. Koda is shedding and may be a little stressed out from the shed. And I can assure you that Koda is working very hard to dominate the baby to maintain his alpha position. This is VERY SERIOUS business for ferrets.
I also suspect both of your boys will be going through some poop issues during this adjustment period. If Kenai is straining and seems uncomfortable and panicking, a little it of slippery elm bark may coat his tummy and intestines.
Here is the recipe I Use....
Put 1/2 cup of cool purified water into a glass or stainless steel saucepan. Add one slightly rounded teaspoon of slippery elm powder (or you can open and empty the contents of 5 capsules into the pan). Whisk with a fork until the powder blends with the water. Note: Always blend it in the cold water first. If you add the powder to warm or hot water it will be lumpy and affect the coating action of the syrup.
Bring the ingredients to a simmer over a low flame, stir constantly. Simmer about two minutes or until it slightly thickens to a syrupy consistency.
Cool the mixture then refrigerate in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. With proper storage the syrup will remain fresh for 7 or 8 days. Ideally, serve the syrup about 15 minute before feeding your ferret.
Even if you just add the dry powder mixed to an animals soft food it can help soothe the digestive system.
Suggested Dose for ferrets
1 teaspoon slippery elm syrup given before each meal.
-jennifer
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Nov 28, 2010 13:33:11 GMT -5
I used to have pics of baby ferret teeth (from 1 week, I think it was, to 10 weeks). I will see if I can find them for you. Danee Devore and a couple of other ferret breeders were trying to document that the ferret farms were actually sending furbabies far earlier than their documentation was saying (marshals is terrible for this). Their actual documentation states that 7 ferrets were shipped on this date and their birthdates are between (usually) the beginning of a month and the end of the month). That meant that the ferret born at the beginning of the month could be 8 weeks while the little ones born at the end of the month could be as young as 5 or 6 weeks. They wanted to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was common practice by providing documentation to the governing bodies that you could tell the age of a kit by it's dentition. They also wanted to also try and get these governing bodies to state that shipment of ferrets shouldn't occur prior to a minimum of 9 weeks. I don't think this ever went anywhere despite their best efforts. I will see if I can find those photos (I've not had much need for them and they're on my old computer that my son now has) ciao
|
|
|
Post by jesslough on Nov 28, 2010 14:23:10 GMT -5
Marshal's is pretty darn careful about making sure the ferrets are a certain age to be shipped. They have been under the microscope, so they are VERY careful, I will give them that much. I have never heard them giving a month between the birthdate, has always been a week or 2.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Nov 28, 2010 15:11:57 GMT -5
I've got the document . When I rescued Nicodemus from the back room of a pet store. He was a baby marshals that wasn't going to make it. That's what they do with them. Stick them in a back room to pass quietly away and then record them as a loss and get an exchange from marshals. I told them that because I was paying for this furbaby that I wanted documentation. They gave me Nicodemus' documents. He was born somewhere between the 5th of January and the 28th of January shipped and received the 8th day of March. Unlike the larger pet stores who have been known to mess up and give you the wrong certificates (that's not marshals fault), this store was too small to make that mistake. Their last shipment of ferrets had been in October of the previous year. Nicodemus spent the first 2 weeks of his little life with me in the vets hooked up to IV. The first photos I have of him is with those skinny little forelegs with no fur on them because they shaved them to hook in the IV. The only different way to have verified this would be to have taken pictures of his teeth (which I didn't do). The vet was disgusted. They may have cleaned up their act since then or maybe these little ones were shipped to cover the stock that had been sold over Christmas, I don't know. ciao
|
|