My ferret ate styrofoam!

Question
Im worried about my ferret because when I came home from work today I
noticed she got into the sewing box and tore apart a hard styrofoam base
that holds thread. I found little reminants of it so Im guessing she ingested a
large amount. She has been acting normal and I gave her vetasyl with duck
soup to help pass any large pieces, so Im currently waiting on that.
Im very concerned that the pieces ingested will inflate in her GI tract, Im not
sure if it does or not so that is my question.
If you have any comments or suggestions please let me know!
If she presents any unusual signs anything out of the norm I will rush her to
the vet, though I think I may be able to handle it since the vet is a bit of a
hike for us.
Thanks for your help
Cristina

Answer
Hi Cristina,

The only suggestion I really have is take your ferret to the vet. I know you said it is a bit of a hike but it could be the difference between your fuzzy's life and death. It is good that you have her on Vetasyl. How much did you give her and how much of the duck soup did she eat?

I really think you should take her to the vet now if you have any reason to suspect that she ingested a lot of that foam. If I am thinking of the same sort of foam, I don't think it expands but there is no real way to be sure. Take a bit of it and put it in water to see if it expands. If it expands in water, then it will probably expand in your fuzzy's tummy and I would consider this a real emergency situation.

If it really isn't an option to take her to the vet, then I guess I would just continue watching her for any abnormal signs. If you start seeing any of the following signs, you need to take her into the vet because it will probably be too late for Vetasyl to be any help at this point.

Possible signs:

Constipation
Tiny, skinny or tarry poop
Bloating
Weight or appetite loss
Vomiting
Pawing at the mouth, teeth grinding or face rubbing
Lethargy
Seizing

If any of these signs come up, you won't have much time to fix the problem, which is why I suggest you take her to the vet right away. In the mean time, keep her going on Vetasyl. I'm assuming you know how much to give her, but at the risk of being redundant, I would try mixing one capsule of Vetasyl in with the duck soup and make sure she eats as much as she can. I'm not sure how instantaneous those effects are so I suppose it is just a waiting game from here.

Again, I urge you to take her to the vet. This Vetasyl/Duck Soup plan is not foolproof. It could go either way, and I don't want to see it go the wrong way for you and your little girl.

Please let me know how this turns out.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews