Post by acodlin on Dec 12, 2010 23:16:08 GMT -5
Does anyone know if a ferret can have an ulcer but have no blood in their stools?
I adopted a group of 7 from the humane society in the beginning of october. They were all in very poor condition (underweight, horrible coats). I noticed one of them (Sam) was grinding his teeth while he ate. I made a vet appointment and he went in around the end of october. The vet looked him over, tested his stool for blood and checked his teeth. Other than a little bit of tartar they looked great. The vet told me to keep an eye on him and see if it was just stress and would go away.
So now here we are almost mid december and he's still grinding while he eats. He doesnt vomit, he sometimes has looser stools but I check constantly and I never see red blood or black/green tarry stools. Sometimes they are paler in color than others but still nothing that I can see as being strange. I'm puzzled as to why he could be grinding his teeth. The only thing that fits in my mind is an ulcer, but he shows no signs other than gritting his teeth. He's a pretty laid back, semi-active ferret. He walks around the house, trots through the tubes and plays with his sisters, but he doesnt zip from one side of the room to the other like most of my crew. He eats and drinks just fine, he's gained almost half a pound since I got him.
I'm going to take him back to the vet but it's likely I wont be able to get in until right after christmas. Is there anything I should specifically ask him to look for? Maybe just give me something to coat his stomach and see if the grinding stops? I worry that there is something going on that I could be missing, I just don't know what it could be. The vet offered to do dental x-rays but his teeth look great and his gums arent red so I'm thinking thats not going to be where the problem is.. I just wish ferrets could talk and he could tell me how he felt! >,<
I adopted a group of 7 from the humane society in the beginning of october. They were all in very poor condition (underweight, horrible coats). I noticed one of them (Sam) was grinding his teeth while he ate. I made a vet appointment and he went in around the end of october. The vet looked him over, tested his stool for blood and checked his teeth. Other than a little bit of tartar they looked great. The vet told me to keep an eye on him and see if it was just stress and would go away.
So now here we are almost mid december and he's still grinding while he eats. He doesnt vomit, he sometimes has looser stools but I check constantly and I never see red blood or black/green tarry stools. Sometimes they are paler in color than others but still nothing that I can see as being strange. I'm puzzled as to why he could be grinding his teeth. The only thing that fits in my mind is an ulcer, but he shows no signs other than gritting his teeth. He's a pretty laid back, semi-active ferret. He walks around the house, trots through the tubes and plays with his sisters, but he doesnt zip from one side of the room to the other like most of my crew. He eats and drinks just fine, he's gained almost half a pound since I got him.
I'm going to take him back to the vet but it's likely I wont be able to get in until right after christmas. Is there anything I should specifically ask him to look for? Maybe just give me something to coat his stomach and see if the grinding stops? I worry that there is something going on that I could be missing, I just don't know what it could be. The vet offered to do dental x-rays but his teeth look great and his gums arent red so I'm thinking thats not going to be where the problem is.. I just wish ferrets could talk and he could tell me how he felt! >,<