Learn some common conditions ferrets encounter

01/10/08

VETS: The first and most important thing you can do for your ferret is to ensure you have a "ferret knowledgeable" veterinarian. For after hour emergencies, you should find out where they refer their clients, that has ferret-savvy veterinarians present. When your ferret is ill, they can take a turn for the worse very quickly, and you CANNOT afford to wait a day or so or even hours in some circumstances. You should have a vet that is close by (even if they are just a back-up) where you could bring your ferret at any time: their life could depend on it!

COLDS AND FLU: It is important to note that unlike cats and dogs, ferrets DO catch and transmit the human flu. You should avoid being around (close) and touching your ferret if either of you are ill. If you must handle your ferret you should wash your hands before and after handling, and avoid breathing on them. It cannot be stressed enough that whenever your ferret is under the weather, not acting normal, or looks funny, you should ALWAYS take them to the vet for a check up! The longer you wait the worse the illness can get and will very quickly.

CONDITIONS: If you acquire a young ferret, it is very common for them to have a pro lapse rectum. This usually is caused by young ferrets being fed hard food at an early age, which is a little rough on their system. This condition will usually clear up on it's own within a week, but you can help comfort your ferret by applying a small amount of Preparation H. If the rectum does not recede on it's own within a few days or appears to be getting infected, you should take the ferret to the vet, as medical attention might be necessary in order to correct.

KEEP AN EYE ON THEM: As previously mentioned, when our ferrets get ill, they can get worse very quickly. It is important to keep a close eye on them, and ensure they are eating and drinking to avoid dehydration and loss of nutrients/electrolytes. you can also add electrolytes to their water in order restore any that are lost and promote fluid intake. If your ferret does become dehydrated, they will most likely need to be administered sub fluids to restore the loss quickly.

POOP CHART:  Because ferrets eat a lot, that means they will poop a lot too! Their digestive systems process food quickly, causing them to poop about 3 hours after meals. It is a good idea to monitor the color and consistency of their waste. This can tell you if they are sick, or may have a foreign body inside. Below is a quick reference chart. You should always consult your vet anytime you notice an abnormality.

• Green poop - a very non-specific sign - it just means that food is moving through too fast. The normal brown color seen in feces is the end product of breakdown of old red blood cells. The pigment goes through a green stage called biliverdin, before it becomes brown (called stercobilin). So if it is going through at an accelerated rate, it never breaks all the way down, and has a green color to it.  Anything that accelerates passage of food or causes diarrhea can result in green color - ECE, rapid food changes, lymphoma, just about anything.
• Black tarry poop - Very suggestive of gastric bleeding and usually associated with gastric ulcers. You have to have significant bleeding in the stomach for the feces to turn black. The black color is the result of digestion of blood, which usually only occurs in the stomach.
• Bloody poop - If you see frank blood in the poop - it is usually either from the large bowel or rectum ( if seen in small amounts) - of if there is a lot of blood, it could come from the entire length of the GI tract.  Massive hemorrhage is seen either from severe gastric bleeds or shock in ferrets, and as one might imagine, is a really bad sign.
• Birdseed poop - Generally a sign of maldigestion or malabsorption. Also non-specific, it can be seen with any disease that severely affects the small intestine. Most commonly seen with ECE, the individual seeds are usually undigested fat and starch complexes. When you see this, you should consider removing a ferret from kibble and going to a bland, easily digested supplement for a while.
• Pencil-lead thin stools - Think partial obstruction - usually a foreign body.

FOODS: It is a good idea to get your ferret accustomed to a mush type food before they are ill and not eating on their won. There are a wide variety of different recipes out called "Duck Soup", but the most  popular and simplest is Gerber's Chicken stage 2 baby food. The food should be slightly warm to the touch (NOT HOT), and can be fed by finger, spoon or syringe. At first your ferret will most likely not be interested, but after a few try/days, they will start eating it on their own and look forward to it as a treat. Do not wait until your ferret is sick first before trying the Gerber's or Duck Soup! When they are ill, it is very important that they eat and take in the required nutrients or additional health problems will occur. You can also provide Prescription Diet AD, which can be obtained from your veterinarian. Either one can be fed for an extended period of time if necessary, as they contain all the necessary ingredients at the correct levels.

ILL FERRETS: May not be interested in eating any food (even if finger fed), so it is up to you to ensure they do. You should always have feeding syringes (NO NEEDLES) on hand; 35cc catheter tip. Getting the tip into the side or front of their mouth, you will need to SLOWLY push the food through the syringe, giving them time to swallow. Too much at once could lead to choking and or aspiration, so take your time. A ferret not eating on their own should be fed approximately 25-35cc of food every 3-4 hours, for a daily intake of about 80-120 cc's. Ferrets are by nature very clean animals, and do accumulate hairball's like cats. Unlike cats however,  ferrets do not generally posses the reflux motion to cough up any hairball accumulations (though some have been known to do so). The best prevention is the provide them with Laxatone/petromalt on a weekly basis in order to lessen any accumulations from developing in their system. Some of the signs can be pencil thin poops, not pooping at all, refusing to eat, etc. If you suspect that your ferret might have a hairball or swallowed something they shouldn't have that is not being passed take him to the vet immediately, as an operation might be warranted for its removal. This situation can be life threatening to your ferret, so please do not wait.

While for the most parts, ferrets are sturdy animals, you should be prepared to react quickly. They are very good at hiding their illness/discomfort until it is very bad, challenging us to know they are ill prior to physical symptoms sometimes. Beginning at the age of 3-4, they are susceptible to two very common diseases that will need your attention and medical care for the rest of their lives, insulinoma and adrenal disease. Both, at some point, will require surgical intervention, and you should be prepared for it financially if and or when needed.

Questions about the following ferret conditions: Click the links below.

ADRENAL DISEASE: are tumors on the adrenal glands which are located in front of the kidneys and generally starts affecting ferrets over the age of 2. They will experience hair loss starting at the tail, moving upward on their body. They will become lethargic, they may gain a potbelly, and orangish skin. Males will get an enlarged prostrate, causing strain to urinate, while the female will have an enlarged vulva. Options are either surgery or medicine. Surgery has been very successful in most cases where the ferrets normally bounce right back. Another option which is medication. Consult your vet. For more information, click the link below.

                                              ADRENAL DISEASE

INSULINOMA:  is caused by tumors in the pancreas. This produces excessive amounts of insulin, where the ferret will experience a low blood sugar. Early signs are lethargic, pawing or foaming at the mouth, difficulty with hind legs, and staring into space. Options are either surgery or oral medication. Consult your vet. For more information, click the link below.

                                                    INSULINOMA

FOR OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION ON VACCINES, OR OTHER HEALTH ISSUES, CLICK THE LINK BELOW.

                                           HEALTH/ILLNESS OVERVIEW