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 |
