Sick fuzzy

Question
Hi Emily,

 I have a fuzzy who is going on 8 1/2 yrs. young, but recently has been
growing a cyst in his little belly. Today I noticed that he has been struggling
to poop with no success, though the one time that he was able to poop it was  
a clear syrupy constancy.
   I know that his appetite has not changed but it harder for him to eat ( he
has lost a back molar so its harder for him to really chew his food ) but we
make sure to give him chicken baby food, ferretlax,  as well as nutracal, along
with his reg marshall's ferret food,  and he has been drinking plenty of water.    
We have all 3 of our  babies on Marshall's Ferret food, and he does share a
cage with our other 2 fuzzies,
   My Husband and I just recently moved to where we currently live and have
yet to find a vet who treats Ferrets so we haven't been able to take him to the
vet to treat or at least look at the tumor though I would say it most likely
having some interference with his poops, its just what he pooped out today
that has me worried that I won't find a Vet in time if this has become "life
threating" is there anything that I can do between now and then ?

Answer
Hi Shona,

I am so sorry that your fuzzy is not doing well. I cannot stress how important it is for you to find a veterinarian for your ferret. Here is a link to just a few veterinarians across the country (and even the world):

http://www.ferret.org/links/vets.html

I have heard of people giving metamucil to their ferrets as a laxative. There is also an animal medicine similar to metamucil called vetasyl. If you want to try either of these, I would suggest 1/2 a teaspoon of metamucil or a capsule of vetasyl (just break it open and throw the capsule away) and just stir it into the baby food you are already giving your fuzzy. This could help clean out his intestines. Make sure he eats as much of this mixture as he can. It may help.

I am very worried that this cyst is blocking his intestinal tract and that is what is causing his troubles passing bowel movements. If this is the case, you have multiple things to worry about. The cyst is something to worry about in the first place because it could be something worse than a cyst. But, if the cyst is blocking his digestive tract, this could cause the stool to back up and it could cause a rupture in his intestines. This is definitely something you want to avoid, if possible. The biggest thing that I can stress right now is seeking medical attention as soon as you can. It may be the difference between life and death for your little fuzzy. In the meantime, you can try the metamucil and hopefully you will see some improvement.

Please, please, please seek out a vet as soon as you can.

I really hope this comes out for the best and I hope I helped you. Please let me know if he pulls through this and I wish you the best from the bottom of my heart. If there is anything else I can do, please let me know.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews


Hi again Shona,

I just wanted to check in and see how your fuzzy was doing. I have been thinking about him and wanted to see how things were going.

Please let me know.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews