FERRET EATS CLOTH

Question
QUESTION: my ferret eats t shirts and pillow cases little by little. Is she lacking fiber in her diet? So far no seeming problems but i notice it passes through her etc. It seems natural to her and i dont really care about the cases or t shirts which i put new ones in her bed every so often. Im a long time ferret owner seven ferrets over 21 years. Was curious if youve seen this.  Thank You, Jeff

ANSWER: Hi Jeff:

I had a ferret who ate fabrics of all kinds too. She also ate Yesterday's News litter!!  So, if you don't use Yesterday's News yet; it might be a good thing to stay away from.

My ferret outgrew her fabric chewing - I think it was because she had been removed from her mommy just too soon and she was trying to get some oral stimulation that she missed by not nursing long enough.

FIRST & MOST IMPORTANTLY: Please don't put tee shirts in. These really ARE dangerous and can cause intestinal blockages that will kill the ferret. It's amazing she has done it this long and gotten by without any major problems. It only takes a very small amount to actually cause a complete blockage in ferrets. I would really really encourage you to absolutely NOT put another tee shirt in for her. Toss in a softer pair of older jeans (with no holes to help her get started on a place to chew :-); or some other fabric that she isn't as likely to chew - a different texture fabric. Even then, WATCH CLOSELY to be sure she hasn't found something else to chew on..she must NOT eat fabrics.

Get some Ferret chew sticks that will dissolve as she chews on them! There are Cheweasels, N-Bone Chew Treats especially for ferrets and also little chewables called "Foamy Fries" for ferrets. ALL are safe, gelatin based and help that need to chew. You can get them here: http://tinylink.com/?hoMGInf3dL at Ferret Depot, or Drs Foster & Smith (used to be The Ferret Store) and most pet stores that carry ferret items.

I very very strongly encourage you to put her thru the "3-day hairball treatment"....and  in this particular case I think I would do it for 5 DAYS IN A ROW instead of three. I would bet you are going to see some really interesting stuff coming out of that little ferret! BUT, it is much much better to be OUT than in. This Uncle Jim's and Vetasyl treatment below is the absolute ONLY way to remove the stuff your little girl has in there short of surgery and until she's completely cleaned out, the possibility of needing surgery STILL is not out of the question here, so please do keep watching her carefully.

If you do not do the treatment on her and there is a piece of tee shirt in a fold of her bowels somewhere that is causing a portion of her intestine to die, that MUST come out. Hopefully it will come out with the Vetasyl treatment, but there is always the possibility that there is fabric in a fold that the Vetasyl just can't get to. At least the Vetasyl treatments should give you an idea of what is going on (whether the tee shirt pieces that come out have pus or blood on them) and it will likely get out 95% of what's in there, which will give the rest a better chance of moving and possibly working its way loose before a section of intestine dies.

Here is the story of how Vetasyl came into my life, and the particulars to the Vetasyl 3-day treatment...in your case PLEASE do it faithfully for FIVE DAYS IN A ROW - since I think this is just absolutely possibly a life-and-death situation you may be soon looking at:
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I have a ferret who had to have surgery for a hairball last year. I have had this ferret since he was a tiny kit and my house is very ferretproofed, neat and tidy, and I watch the kids closely when they are out to play.  He started having skinny poops and I was ready to take him to the vet...but a friend of mine has cats recommended that I try a product called "Vetasyl".

VETASYL:   http://www1.shopping.com/xFS?KW=vetasyl&CLT=SCH

UNCLE JIM'S DUK SOUP MIX: http://www1.shopping.com/xFS?KW=Uncle+Jim%27s+Duk+Soup+Mix&CLT=SCH

Vetasyl is a safe bulk product made of psyllium and barley that absorbs liquids as it travels thru the digestive system and works like Metamucil works for people.  I gave him the CONTENTS OF ONE VETASYL CAPSULE (toss the cap itself away) blended into 4-6 OZ OF VERY WARM WATER and TWO LEVEL TEASPOONS of Uncle Jim's Duk Soup Mix (by Marshalls and available at pet stores or online pet supply stores).  I let him eat all he wanted...and he ate all 6 oz of it! (*Update six months later on the ferret who was eating 6oz at a time), he will only eat about 3-4 ounces at a time now, but it still does the job effectively. The more the better, but 4 ounces work well too.

I repeated this and fed him 'lax soup' ONCE A DAY FOR THREE DAYS IN A ROW.  The first two days he passed a few small hairballs here and there, not enough to explain the tiny poops I had been seeing.  However, on the third day I gave the lax, he passed a hairball the size and shape of my little finger!!  It had some green pus on one end of it, so no doubt he was very very close to having a very very serious problem - but it was averted!  

Since then, I have been giving the 'soup lax' treatment about once every two weeks. I make up the soup at bedtime and he goes to bed with a tummy full of warm soup.  By morning when I check the litterbox, I often find little hairballs that he has passed in his poops.  The first time, for the initial 'clean-out', give it for THREE DAYS IN A ROW to be sure everything is out, but subsequent treatments can be just one feeding of the 'soup' every couple of weeks.  

My large male ferret often ate 4-6 oz of mixture. Smaller ferrets may eat less, but they should eat at least 1/2 of the mixture in order to be effective. They should be "full", whatever "full" is for them. The secret is in giving it with enough fluids so that it can swell up in the intestines and move whatever it finds in its path out.  You can get your ferret familiar with Uncle Jim's Duk Soup - it's a treat to my kids - they LOVE it and if you use 2 level teaspoons in 6-oz of warm water and the contents of one Vetasyl capsule, the proportions are just about perfect!  Initially you may have to dip your finger in it, then into their mouth until they develop a taste for it and eat it readily.  I haven't seen a ferret yet who doesn't love Uncle Jim's, so it is perfect for this....and MUCH healthier for our ferrets than the sugary tubed vaseline laxatives we have given for years (and they don't work as well as Vetasyl!).
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You said you've had a lot of ferrets, but you didn't say if you still have other ferrets or if she is an only one. This may be another thing that could make a difference. My little girl stopped chewing when she got a little buddy in the cage with her. Consider things like finding ways to get her out of the cage more often - taking her with you for outings. You'd be surprised where ferrets can go with just a little bit of thought and planning. More 'out of the cage' time helps - even ferretproofing another room, adding a dig box to vent her frustrations and enlarging her 'world' may make  a huge difference in her thinking/feeling/behavior.

The Vetasyl treatments will do some serious cleaning out of that little girl of yours. I'm very very concerned about what's in her little tummy and the damage it may be doing inside there. Even tho it *looks* like she's pooping it out, no doubt she's definitely NOT pooping all of it out. Even a small amount left behind can putrify and cause infection in the bowel, which *can* even cause a section of the bowel to die. It's a slow and very very painful way for a ferret to die and you would have no idea it was happening until quite far into the process. That's what concerns me most.

To be safest -knowing there IS a problem, you certainly warranted in your fears and I'm sure your vet would agree to have a barium test done. That's really not a difficult nor expensive test. The vet just gives the ferret some Hill's A/D with some barium in it (barium shows up as white on an xray) to eat. Within minutes the barium starts its journey through the intestinal tract. Your vet will take xrays about every 15 minutes to watch the barium, looking for places within the bowel that appear to be impeded, pinched off or blocked by a foreign object. Once the vet sees where the blockage is, you have two options - you can TRY the Vetasyl treatment and try to get the ferret to pass the blockage (fabric in your case) or the vet can take the ferret to surgery (fairly expensive, but absolutely lifesaving as long as it is done before too much of the bowel and infection fills the abdomen). This obviously would be the SAFEST thing for you to do for your little girl right now.

I think you will really see some interesting things in the outcome when you do the FIVE DAY TREATMENT! Specifically I want you to look for pieces that come out that have green slimy 'pus' on them. Put any strange looking pieces of fabric - or toys - whatever comes out - in a small jar with a lid (no poops, just the "treasures"). Yes, you need to scrape thru the poops with a popsicle or similar on a couple paper towels. If you do see a lot of green, yellow or blood in the pieces that come out, please save them in the jar also. She *could* have a very serious infection going on in that little tummy of hers and this is one way you CAN find out before it's too late.  I hope you'll follow through and let me know. I'm very concerned about her. Making sure you do the complete FIVE DAY TREATMENT will keep cleaning out those possibly infected places everyday and *hopefully* by the end of the treatment, the fabric pieces will be gone and any infections with them!

In the meantime, if for any reason your little girl should start vomiting, pawing at the roof of her mouth, drooling, stop eating for more than 8 hours, appear to be listless, stop drinking or just act like she's not feeling well, PLEASE don't hesitate - get her to a vet immediately. These are all signs of SERIOUS TUMMY PROBLEMS.  NOT something you can treat at home. It will probably mean that the treatments you are doing have loosened up enough stuff that the vet is going to have to remove it.......I'm not saying this WILL happen, just that I don't want you to not know what to do IF IT DOES HAPPEN.

I strongly suspect she already has at least one or more partial blockages - those could move and suddenly completely block her intestine, which would become life-threatening at any moment and she could quickly be at death's door. I don't mean to scare you - just to keep you on alert so you don't lose her because you didn't know. So, please DO keep a close watch and DO the treatments just as soon as possible and do them for FIVE DAYS IN A ROW, keeping track of absolutely everything EXCEPT POOP that comes out of her (put them in a jar with a lid is best). If she is in a cage with other ferrets, you may need to put her in a separate cage for the course of the treatment....OR if that depresses her, just dig thru ALL the poops a couple times daily (so they are all still SOFT) and remove anything that is NOT REGULAR POOPS...we will *assume* they are hers. That's the best we can do. Don't need to be depressing any fuzzies when they probably already don't feel good, but don't wait till the poops dry to dig thru them.

I'm sorry I couldn't have any better news for you. I truly do hope you'll remove those tee shirts from her cage immediately (toss in a pair of blue jeans or something not quite so easy to chew? WHATEVER you do put in, be SURE she doesn't chew on it - IF she does, remove it immediately too); and MOST IMPORTANTLY... get some Vetasyl and Uncle Jim's down her just as quickly as possible.

PLAN B TREATMENT TO CLEAR INTESTINES:
In Case You Absolutely Can't Get The Vetasyl & Uncle Jims: (NOT THE BEST, BUT can be used)  

1....You can substitute Metamucil for Vetasyl (they are both psyllium fiber 'bulk'); AND,

2......get ahold of some Hill's A/D feline canned prescription diet (at your vet's office) instead of Uncle Jim's. (You will just be making a THIN GRAVY with this to put the bulk psyllium in) - scoop out a tablespoon or two into a small bowl, add 4oz of water, microwave and stir. It will be soupy, but enough meat to have a little flavor. Stir in 1/2 tsp Metamucil (stir well); dribble Ferretone on top of the warm mixture if necessary to help get her drinking it. Whatever 'soupy' thing you can get her to drink that's not salty or sugary will actually work. I just think A/D is easier to use, but maybe you have something your kids like better. Grind up some kibble and add Ferretone if you think that would work. Just be SURE the end product is soupy for that Metamucil (or Vetasyl) to expand in.

So, there you have a couple choices of where to go from here. I have given you a lot to think about - hopefully some things to buy - some things to change (immediately!) and some decisions to make.  Please don't wait to either do the 5-day vetasyl (or metacil) treatment; consider getting a barium xray to be sure she's not already in serious trouble?  I hope that you will please update me and let me know how the "clean out" goes?  

Best of luck with your little fabric eater - doggone it, I don't know why these precious little ones have to put us through things like this!!  As if life weren't stressful enough! Little stinkers! I think we should have a party after this little one gets cleared out and feels all well and spunky again. I think you'll be surprised - it *should* help her to feel better all over.

Please don't hesitate to write again if I can help in any way. Be SURE you have a vet's number (one that 'specializes in exotics') before starting these treatments. You don't want to be looking for a vet who will see a ferret when she's needing one immediately.  You prolly already know that with having other ferrets tho.......duh.  LOL   It's late and I'm past my bedtime. Please forgive me if I ramble - oh gosh, it's 2a.m.! Do give that sweet little girl a hug from me and please update me???

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for taking the time  
i'm a huge fan of the ferret
my first ferret lived to  be ten with no health problems
the other ferrets that i have had averaged about 6 tp 7 years
one got cancer etc
all died of natural causes
this latest ferret is quite young 2 or 3 years old
her labia swelled and the vet put her on anti biotics then a cream which seemed to help
i noticed her eating the pillow case and t shirts like they were snacks little by little that is why i saked the question    I have since just given her her 3rd day dose of laxatone everything looks ok    i also switched her food from totally ferret to path valley ferret food shes eating well and very playful
i hope the swollen vulva is just a coincidece and  not a sign of adrenal disease but the vet said he thought she was young for that  anyway  i have had ferrets since i was 14 and love them more than almost anything. Its great to know there are other people like myself out there. If you know anything you think could cause the swollen vulva with no other symptoms no hair los weaight loss or anything let me know it all looks pretty normal now. O took the pillow cases off the pillows and we have them in a zipper case which she snot messing with. i never put my ferrets in cages unless im cleaning the room. i have permnanet board up at the bedroom door and the door was switched to open outward. Anyway thank You Jeff  

Answer
HI again Jeff!

Glad to hear from you again. Unfortunately I don't like to give bad news, but ANY female ferret with a swollen vulva either has a) an incomplete spay, which we find in very very young ferrets - it shows up about the time of their first heat and they end up having to go back to surgery to have the last remnants of their ovaries removed. The ONLY OTHER REASON for a female ferret to have a swollen vulva (short of a physical injury such as a scratch or scrape or wire, etc) is adrenal disease. It is quite often the first and sometimes the ONLY symptom in female ferret with adrenal disease. Not all ferrets with adrenal disease have fur loss or other symptoms.

I am concerned that your vet even reacted by giving antibiotics and a cream to treat her swollen vulva. I am very surprised if it did anything. I do wonder if this vet has experience enough that he would be able to do an adrenalectomy if it were necessary of if you should start looking for a vet who is more experienced with ferrets. I will put the list of ferret vets just in case - it's always a good idea - just to be on the safe side - to check to see IF your vet's name is on the lists.....since nearly all good ferret vets are listed; if he's not, you may well decide to have your little girl examined by one of the vets on the lists:

VETS CANADA:   
* http://www.ferretrescue.ca/start.php
* http://tinylink.com/?TlVyYKa6e0
* http://www.ferrets.org/Veterinarian_Listings.htm   (British Columbia)
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
* http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/sask_ferrets/

VETS USA:
* http://www.quincyweb.net/quincy/vet.html
* http://ferrethealth.org/vets/
* http://www.ferret-universe.com/vets/vetlist.asp
* http://www.ferretsanctuary.com/vets.shtml
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
* http://ferrethealth.org/vets/

VETS  UK & IRELAND:  
* http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ferreter/vetlist.htm

Just check the lists, if you will - for your own good and the welfare of your ferret. It never hurts to be on the safe side. Many vets will see a ferret, but when it comes to surgery of specific problems - like adrenal disease - it's just a little too specialized for a dog and cat type vet; an "exotics" vet is an absolute necessity. MANY ferrets have died at the hands of well meaning vets who just weren't qualified to work on exotics.

It sounded like you don't want to try cleaning her out with the 'bulk' laxative to remove any remaining pieces of cloth either. I really feel that's a big mistake,but of course it's your ferret and your decision.  I've just heard too many stories - even of people really giving their ferrets a LOT of vaseline or tube of ferretone or similar lax and it just does NOT remove pieces that have adhered to the insides of the intestines. I would just like to really really encourage you to give the 3 or 5 day treatment a try, Jeff.  I would just feel so bad if you lost her, knowing better and just not doing it. That scares me.   I don't mean to make you feel bad, but she depends on you to do what is right for her.  This latest "bulk" laxative is absolutely the latest in removing possible intestinal blockages (partial) and there are a LOT of stories of where the 3 or 5 day treatments have actually saved ferrets lives - my own ferret was one......I gave him a three day treatment 30 days after he had just had surgery to remove an intestinal blockage (hairball because he grooms himself a lot) and on Day 3, he passed a HUGE hard hairball the size and shape of my little finger and it had pus on the end of it where it had been adhered to his intestinal wall!  He would have died and I wouldn't have even suspected anything because he had just had surgery and I would have *assumed* he would have been all cleaned out!  THAT made me a believer!!

Everyone has to choose what is right for their own ferrets; I do understand that. I do hope and pray that you will do what is right for your little girl - that you will have more than one symptom - more than one chance to decide. Sometimes ferrets only give us one chance to make a decision; sometimes they give us several symptoms before they get very very ill.  Please, whatever you do, be very very vigilant and watch for further symptoms such as smaller poops, even spaghetti looking poops (by then, you MUST get her to surgery immediately - NOTHING else will work)  Just be sure all her poops are nice and big around and fat, which indicates a healthy bowel; small poops or skinny poops are always bad news.

As far as the vulva goes - if she licks at it or it causes her any more problems, it would be good to have a ferret vet have a look at it. At her age, it can't really be an incomplete spay, so it almost has to be adrenal disease. With adrenal disease, the adrenal gland excretes hormones that stimulate sex hormones that make her vulva swell - she can't get pregnant, of course, but she can get pretty uncomfortable if it is swollen and sore and she licks it a lot or it is seeping fluid. Watch for thinning fur anywhere on her tail, base of her tail, her shoulders, maybe even some aggressiveness she didn't have before - that's due to the hormones too. Once she has surgery to remove the adrenal glands, it CURES the problem and she can go on to live a completely healthy and full live. SURGERY IS THE ONLY CURE for adrenal disease. The sooner the glands are removed, the better - so she can get her health back and be happy again!

Best of luck to you and to your little girl. Again, I hope and pray you will think very seriously about giving her the 3 or 5 day bulk laxative treatment. Many people give it every month to their ferrets just to be sure their intestinal tract is open and healthy and they are having wonderful results and healthier ferrets as a result. I just hope you will try it, especially because of the fabrics she was chewing on. I wish the best to you and your precious little one! Please write again anytime!

Sincerely

Jacquie Rodgers