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Post by gkozak on Aug 4, 2008 8:48:18 GMT -5
hello, I have a 17 month old ferret who stopped eating on her own (i feed her innov kibble with totally ferret kibble). she lost weight as a result (down to 500g from 800g). I took her to the vet and they did a physical exam on her and lungs, heart, kidneys slpeen etc felt right. the next step would be blood tests, but i am moving soon ( 3 weeks) and dont want to start something in this city i cannot coninue (besides i totally do not trust my vet and i know this clinic will go from test to test to test while not helping my ferret and making me poor). I am exteremly worried. if i blend her kibble with water or other additives she will lick it of my finger but she wont eat the mixture alone when its in a bowl. she wont touch her regular kibble. she drinks normally, her poops are normal ( i dont think its a blockage then, but could it be if she is on a semi-liquid diet? could that go around the blockage and still make normal poop?) All i want her to do is eat on her own...
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Post by Heather on Aug 4, 2008 10:25:35 GMT -5
I'm sorry but you're probably going to have to do that blood work at least. That way you at least have some idea as to what might be wrong. These little guys crash real fast. Is your ferret dehydrated? Grab the scruff and see if it stays up and the skin doesn't return quickly to it's original shape (trying to figure out how to put this in words...I check all my sick kids all the time) A dehydrated ferret will not eat on it's own. You may not have the luxury of waiting until you move. Are there other vets in your area that will look after ferrets? Not all vets will treat our little fuzzies. A ferret can deal with a small virus, have an upset tummy, and go into decline if they're dehydrated. The standard practice is to use pedialyte, my guys won't touch the stuff and I make my own but that being said...if the ferret is already dehydrated no amount of fluids that you push will help. A sub q fluid will set things right. You really have to get to the bottom of what caused your little one to stop eating. 17 months is really young. Blockages are the first thing to come to mind but you say the poops are normal. Not long and thready, or very loose?? Is she lethargic? How long has this been going on? That's a lot of weight? She probably can't afford to loose much more? I know some ferrets will not eat damped off kibbles (I know this is a switching trick and some get it to work, but a sick ferret may not eat this) Are you in the process of switching your little one? Go out and get some baby food, pure meat, not one of those mixes. Chicken seems to be the easiest but I've heard of lamb as well. See if you can get that into her. You're going to have to hand feed her every couple of hours. How long has she been like this? That's about it for me for the information that you've given. Anyone else want to give it a crack? ciao
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Post by gkozak on Aug 4, 2008 12:09:33 GMT -5
yeah, im pretty sure im doing the bloodtest. I found out about her weight loss when i took her to the vet for vaccinations and they weighted her. so then i separated her from her brother so i could monitor her. thats when i noticed she hasnt been eating her poops are normal not loose, she is drinking water, when we were at the vets he preformed a physical exam and her teeth are normal as with everything else-she wasnt dehydrtaed. right now im blending her kibble with warm water and chicken baby food as well whole eggs. ive been supplementing with carnivore care. \i took her for a weigh in 2 days ago and she gained 75 g in 3 days . but thats only due to assisted feeding. im going to fatten her up as much as i can but i would really like her to eat
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Post by josiesmom on Aug 4, 2008 13:10:07 GMT -5
That's a HUGE loss of weight! You don't mention how quickly she dropped that weight. Has their been a change in kibble? Even if the same brand, but just a new bag? Thereis a LOT of egg already in Carnivore Care- you may not want to add any more. Instead get some fat into her! At least her system can utilize the calories from fat- I use plain lard, but you can also use chicken fat from under the skin or even just offer her some chicken skin. If she isn't interested in the skin then boil the skin ( in just a little bit of water), or fry it to render the fat and and use this to mix into the carnivore care instead of water. Even beef fat drippings from unseasoned meat will offer her some much needed calories.
You are likely going to have to continue her hand feedings until her appetite kicks in - are you using a small ml syringe? This allows you to measure her intake. In order to ensure she stays hydrated, alternate feeding with water and every fourth syringe should be a 50/50 of pedialyte and water. You don't want to give too much electrolyte solution because the added salts will actually dehydrate her more.
You'll need to offer her food/liquid every three hours. Remember their stomachs are small so can only take in about 1/2 teaspoonful of mass at any one time.
She definitely needs to be tested- blood work for certain and I'd opt for a fecal exam for high bacteria counts and to determine which bacteria she has.
Check her mouth for any ulcerations or teeth issues. Talk to your vet about adding Vitamin b-12 to her diet, this vitamin often increases appetite.
Hopefully you can keep enough calories and nutrients in her to support her while the tests figure out what is wrong.
Unfortunately a scary thought always at the forefront of my mind is what I lost my young ferret to- Juvenile Lymphosarcoma. Your ferret is of the age when this typically manifests itself. Josie left on her last adventure at 14 months old. She crashed quickly. This disease causes the ferret's cellular walls throughout its body to literally disintegrate. There is no good prognosis for them with this disease. Her body cavity was filling with fluids from her broken down cells and this fluid wouldn't allow her lungs to operate. She was diagnosed by X-ray which showed her shrinking lung capacity (even thought he lungs were clear) and a needle aspiration of the body cavity came back with extremely red serum - meaning the blood cells were dissolving. I sent her on her way.
I hope you can discover what the problem is.
Cheers, Kim
Keep feeding her and
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Post by Heather on Aug 4, 2008 14:09:07 GMT -5
Did your vet vaccinate a sick ferret?? What Kim says is correct...I hate that disease. My Porthos died of it. Blood work can point to it if it's in there....I will light a healing candle for your little one and hope that that's not the prognosis. Good luck. Keep hand feeding. I use egg with my carnivore care mix. That was on the direction of the vet and the homeopath but Kim's right she does need an increased fat load. I've used the fat under the skin of chicken to raise the fat content. I've also used the pope's nose. If they won't eat it boil it down and make a broth of it. It's full of good fat. It's not as easily absorbed as when it's raw but it's still better. Good luck ciao
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Post by Jaycee on Aug 4, 2008 17:32:07 GMT -5
My ferret was loosing weight for quite a while while having normal poo. Then one day everything changed and she quit eating and drinking, and poop became thin. I would say it is possible that there could be a partial blockage. If it shifts, then the poo would come out thiner or not at all. I would think that this would be a possibility, anyway.
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Post by gkozak on Aug 4, 2008 19:25:30 GMT -5
no the vet didnt vaccinate the ferret. gosh i hope its not a blockage. i dont think its is though because its been a more than a week. im gonna take her to the vet asap, its just such a worry.
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Post by Heather on Aug 4, 2008 23:41:55 GMT -5
Good luck, let us know....we're concerned ciao
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Post by pear2apple on Aug 5, 2008 21:35:36 GMT -5
What about giving Kitten Replacer Milk? That would give her some nutrients as well as fats, and mixed in with the water helps keep her hydrated? I think that stuff is amazing, it really turned things around with Apple when he was so sick and not eating.
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Post by gkozak on Aug 6, 2008 19:49:46 GMT -5
hello, i thought that milk is bad for ferrets? took her to the vet and got some blood tests done. first of all the vet made me cry all the way home. all the tests that the vet thinks should be done aka for every disease that one of the symptoms is not eating totalled over $2000, and thats just to diagnose, after i opted for the blood tests at 500, they made me feel like a horrible owner who doesnt care about the ferret bc i dont want to test everything right away. i still feel like crap. i vow not to go back to the vet unless new symptoms arise. does any one have any idea how to entice her to eat on her own? as soon as she sees the syringe she goes crazy with excitedment aka she loves eating from it, but on her own not so much...
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Post by Heather on Aug 6, 2008 23:30:08 GMT -5
I'm sorry that you have a vet that's like that. You're not a bad ferretmom. The first ferret vet that I ever had was like that. If I didn't get all the tests that she wanted done then I was a poor ferret mom and I didn't deserve a fuzzy. This can be done in series, it doesn't have to all happen at once. Sometimes the first set of tests (which can be done by narrowing down symptoms) find out what the problem is. Then why would you do the other $2000 worth of diagnostic testing. Ok, feeding. I take that from your description she loves to eat off the syringe. Have you tried measuring it into a spoon and allowing her to lap it up herself? That could be your first step to more independent eating. As far a kitten milk replacement, it's not milk per say. It's lactose free or at least that is what I understand. It's a special mix that was created to replace the mother's milk for nursing kittens. I understand that you can also use real creme without having problems as well ciao
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Post by josiesmom on Aug 7, 2008 23:38:30 GMT -5
I'd be willing to bet considering your description of how excited she gets seeing the syringe is that for some reason this gives her some sort of security. IOW she is reverting to kit behavior and this is a nursing response! It's very likely there is nothing wrong with her physically - it could be more of an emotional issue. I thought you were dealing with a depressed, uninterested ferret. SInce she is showing decided interest in actually eating- just not eating on her own - I'd guess she has perceived she has suffered some sort of trauma; Separation anxiety or abandonment and the syringe feeding she gets from you offers her more than just food- it offers her security.
Is she an only ferret? HAs something recently changed? Even as simple as laundry detergent so her nest doesn't smell the same? Has your work schedule changed so she doesn't see you as much? Has there been a new addition to the family? Have you moved her housing? Have you changed your perfume?
I think your vet is trying to rob you! I'd scout around for another one! Blood tests oughtn't cost THAT much!
Keep us posted! Cheers, Kim
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Post by smokeyanbandit on Aug 8, 2008 5:09:13 GMT -5
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Post by gkozak on Aug 8, 2008 7:20:01 GMT -5
Hi, I havnt given her a laxative bc I was hoping to beef her up a bit, but im willing to give it a shot . Im moving soon and I am soooooo happy to switch vets in a matter of weeks. No matter what happens with Puma Im going to wait for another vet (unless a horrible emergency of course). I didnt change much that I can think of. She is not alone and has a little brother, they have been together for 6 months now and get along great. I might have switchted detergent... Im grasping at straws here. I started feeding her from a spoon to lessen the emotional attachment she associates with feeding. She licks it up fine. I tried to literally put kibble in her mouth so she tastes it but she ends up spitting it out...grrr. Right now my plan is to lessen the water content graduarally in her duck soup till in a few weeks its dry kibble. The blood results are suppossed to come today (makes me sick to my stomach waiting for them).
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Post by gkozak on Aug 8, 2008 15:03:03 GMT -5
okay, so test results, slightly anemic, low protein levels, higish ureaic acid levels . took x rays no obstruction, now on helicobacter medication. i dont want to do a scope and biopsies i think its way too invasive, im getting really tired and scared. hopefully medicine works
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