UTI in a ferret

Question
QUESTION: ferret is about 6 years old, no other illness's in the past that i know of (I've only had her for a couple of months- her previous owner did't have time for her anymore). Ferret is always full of energy and giving kisses but since yesterday she seems to be acting different. I gave her a bath(3rd bath since i've had her) and i was thinking that might have had something to do with is since thats when i started to notice but i didn't interact with her for a good 12 hours beforehand so i dont know.. She's just not her spunky self, kind of laying around and not getting up when i open her cage. When she's out she'll walk a little bit and then kind of loose her balance and fall over( looks like she's loosing her balance) or just taking a rest before walking again. Her poop is different, more wet but still in semi hard form but her pee is dark- kind of green. I was hoping she would be better the next day(today) but she is still kind of the same and it's starting to worry me. I was hoping to get some advice befor i bring her to the vet and get laid with a bill. Should wait longer. please get back to me on this matter.......she's also a bit more irritable- when i hold her, trying to get her to interact she gets a bit nippy. Last night She bit my arm and wouldn't let go

ANSWER: Hi Dan,

I'm so sorry to hear that your little girl is sick. Unfortunately, both of the conditions I'm thinking it *could* be require her to be sent to the vet immediately! I just want to say that nothing I am telling you is definitive. That can only be diagnosed by a proper ferret veterinarian.

The first I will talk to you about is heartworms. This is the sickness that the symptoms you described sounds most like. If this is the case, your little girl is in trouble. One adult heartworm can kill a ferret. Here are some other symptoms you might notice:

Coughing or hacking
Fluid buildup in the chest and abdomen
Labored breathing
Lethargy
Pale lips, gums, and tongue
Heart murmur
Hypothermia (lowered body temperature)
Muffled heart sounds
Green color to the urine


If you are seeing these signs, your little girl needs to see the vet RIGHT AWAY! It is so, so imperative she sees a vet as soon as possible. Like I said, just one adult heartworm can take the life of a ferret. Something for you to be aware of, the heartworm medication that is available isn't developed specifically for ferrets. As far as I know, there is no medication developed expressly for ferrets, so you will use the medication available at your own risk. The company will not help you out if your little girl has an adverse reaction. On the bright side, there is a good success rate for ferrets treated with heartworm medication, as far as I've researched. PLEASE get her to a vet right away. This is an emergency situation that can only be treated with medication administered by a veterinarian.

The other ailment that it *could* be is a urinary tract problem. If she shows any of the following symptoms, then she should still be taken to see a vet:

Straining to urinate or painful urination, frequent urinations with little to no urine production and discolored or smelly urine.

There is a small chance of this being the case for your little girl but to tell you the truth, I'm not thinking it is the case. Just from the mention of the green urine and the lethargy, I'm very worried that it is heartworms. In the case that it is a UTI, you still need to have a vet check her because the infection could travel to the kidneys and cause really SERIOUS damage. If it progresses to a kidney failure, there is little anyone can do.

Needless to say, both of these conditions warrant a visit to the vet IMMEDIATELY. They both require the proper medication. In short, please get her to a vet RIGHT AWAY!

I hope you will keep me updated on your little girl's condition. My thoughts and prayers will be with both of you.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews

P.S.

Here is a list of links to help you find a ferret vet in your area if you don't already have one.

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

VET INFO/ LIST OF FERRET GROUPS/ CONTACTS IN UK, ITALY, NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA, NETHERLANDS, GERMANY & DENMARK:       
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-overseas.html (scroll down page to find the one you are looking for)

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

QUESTION: i brought my ferret to the vet and they seem to think it was the urine infection.. She seems to be getting better.. not as sleepy.. her urine color is almost back to normal and she does seem to hold her balance better but still a little wobbly... she still not eating really.. but she is always drinking water (maybe more than normal) i force feeding her and using Nutri-cal that the vet gave me. so she's still no the same.. she seems kinda of irritable towards me but im thinking thats cuz she doesnt like me puttint the food and medicine in her mouth. So overall she is improving so thats a good sign but is it possible that something else is wrong with her, should i give it some more time?

ANSWER: Hi Dan,

I'm so glad she is starting to improve. Thank you for updating me. You should really be careful with Nutrical. It is loaded with sugar and sugar isn't good for ferrets. They can't digest the sugar and it could lead to insulinoma. I'm sure the vet doesn't have you give your little girl tons of it, I was just telling you something to think about.

She is probably fine. When humans get urinary infections and we take antibiotics, we're not all the way cured in just a few days. Continue the medicine. Be careful when"force feeding." I prefer to call it assisted feeding because force makes me a little uncomfortable. What are you feeding her? Are you just giving her her normal food? Or did the vet have you give her a special food? For the recovering ferret, Feline A/D canned food is really great. It helps replace nutrients and boosts recovery time. Be careful when giving her food and water by hand because she could aspirate whatever you give her if you are just shoving it in her mouth. When giving water (or food that is mixed with water) you should use a syringe and squirt a little bit in the side of the ferret's mouth to see if she will start to lap it up. Only do that if she isn't eating and drinking on her own.

Just give her a little bit more time. If you notice serious changes that indicate illness, like if her urine changes color, her poops change, or her activity changes, you should take her back to the vet. Otherwise, just give her a little time to heal. If you don't see full improvement by the time the medicine has run out, you should take her back to the vet for a follow up exam.

Please keep me updated and if you have any other questions, please let me know!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews

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

QUESTION: Hey, it's dan again and i have another follow up. Like i said, she is definitely getting better. Seems to be more active now and now she's eating again. But still thin, im thinking she just needs time to gain some of the weight back but i was cleaning her cage the other day i think i seen i bunch of really small, thin- white worms.I've heard it is bad if you can see a bunch in their dumpings so i'm going to go to the vet again.. I have another ferret in the cage, should i try and get 2 things of deworming medicine because it is likely they both have it?

Answer
Hi again Dan,

It is definitely very bad if you can see worms in the ferret's stool. That means a very serious infestation. When you take your little girl in to the vet, you should definitely take your other ferret (or ferrets or cats or dogs if you have them) because chances are, if one ferret has it, her cagemate does too and if you have other pets that could have gotten into your ferret's poop, they could have contracted the worm, too.

You should take your pets to the vet with a stool sample or see if they can get one there, if the stool samples you have aren't fresh. They will run a check of the stool to see if your ferrets have worms and what kind of worms they have. They will prescribe a pill or a liquid or even a shot.

Also, I didn't say this before, but you should really make sure your kids are staying hydrated in this summer heat. A good way to check for proper hydration is to gently grab the scruff of your ferret's neck and see if the skin stays tented. If it does, your ferret is dehydrated and that is a serious problem in ferrets. It can put in them in mortal danger very quickly. Just make sure they are staying hydrated and eating and drinking regularly.

Please let me know how your kids come through. Make sure you get them to the vet as soon as possible. Worms are serious, especially if the infestation is that bad. It can lead to bowel problems and weakened immune systems later on.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews