Bowel Obstruction Possible

Question
I have two ferrets gizmo and gadget, about five months ago gizmo got out of your closed in porch during play time and was accidently backed over by my husbands cousin on his motorcycle. We took her to the vet and she has been fine but today i was giving her a bath and noticed her abdomen is hard and swollen, it kind of felt like a golf ball size. I was wondering if this is something really bad and what could it be? She has been fine other than a little bit of weight loss and she hasn't been having bowel movements as much or having as much secretion. Can you Help me!

Answer
Hi Jeri-Ann, Gadget & Gizmo:

Wow, that's one hearty ferret to have withstood being run over by a motorcycle! She may have had a 'slow bleed' that day that didn't show up on the xrays and that blood may have now formed a clot and could be compressing the bowel OR she could have just a plain ole bowel obstruction - either hairball from grooming, or from something she picked up and though was delicious like a styrofoam packing peanut (etc), and for a while nothing seems to be wrong. Poop looks fine, but slowly over time larger pieces of stool cannot get past the styrofoam so it starts backing up and piling up. The bowel stretches for a while, so you still won't notice much of a difference of any kind. Then one day the bowel cannot stretch any further. It will not let any more stool through and it cannot stretch any more.

From what you are describing to me, it sounds like she's pretty far down the scale already, IF this is a bowel obstruction. It could also be a tumor. At any rate, she definitely needs to see a vet again IMMEDIATELY. None of the options I can think of that this can be are good ones - some are absolutely life threatening (the scenario above, which is why I gave it to you), so this is absolutely not something to wait for. Golf ball size ANYTHING inside a ferret is HUGE.

I hope and pray you can get her in to see the vet again right away. There's just nothing I can do over the internet - if there were, believe me, I'd be doing it. My thoughts and prayers go with you and your little one - please keep me updated.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers