Whew.........

Question
QUESTION: Our ferret Rowdy "Roo" is 1, eats Ultimate 8-in-1 ultra moist food, & pooped 2 days ago for sure maybe a little yesterday, And her urine is getting a darker Yellow.

 Roo doesn't want to eat or drink-I gave her a small piece of honeydew last night hoping she would get some liquid nutrition, she did lick and eat the small piece, so I did the same this morning.  She still has energy but, would rather just be loved.  I called the people I purchsed her from and they suggested we give her ferretvite mixed w/1 amoxicillan (roo throws up ferretvite -she doesn't like it!)  Please do you have any suggestion...We live Ca and have not needed a vet.  Desperately awaiting your comment...Thank you!

Tabatha

ANSWER: Hi Tabatha:

I'm afraid that Rowdy Roo is in trouble!! Anytime a ferret stops eating, we worry about intestinal blockages. She needs to see a vet NOW.  The fact that her urine is getting dark means that she is gettin dehydrated - which is NOT good for ferrets.

You need to get her to a vet immediately. On the way to the vet you can try to get some water or Pedialyte down her, but she probably won't hold it if she has a blockage.  When they lose their orneriness, we know they are not feeling well. Intestinal blockages can happen really quickly - it just means that she ate "something" that is blocking her intestines and won't pass thru.

Ferrets are obligate carnivores, BTW, and should never eat vegetables or fruits - meats only, and of course their ferret kibble such as Totally Ferret. I hope you know about 'ferret-proofing' and the things that ferrets often eat (rubber bands, erasers, plastic, small toys, soft rubber of any kind, ear plugs, anything rubber or foam rubber, bubble wrap and lots of other stuff) that commonly cause blockages.

I'll keep this short in hopes you can get that little girl to an emergency vet.  Yes, ferrets are supposed to be illegal in CA, but vets there DO TREAT FERRETS.  I will attach some lists of ferret vets and each list was compiled from different places, by state, then by city - hopefully there is one or more in your city or within driving distance. Your little one needs to see a vet NOW - please don't wait. Intestinal blockages are the most common cause of death in young ferrets.

* 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/

Also, if you can't find a vet near you on any of the lists above, here are a list of shelters - they will be able to point you in the right direction to a vet who can/will help in case of emergency:

* http://www.ferret.org/links/shelters.shtm
* http://www.everythingferret.com/ferret_shelters.htm
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/yourwebpage5.msnw
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-products.html
* http://www.ferretfacts.com/ferret-shelter-directory-us-ferret-shelters.html

GOOD LUCK!!!  My thoughts and prayers go with you and your sweet little girl. Please please let me know if she makes it??  If you will please write again, I would like to give you a bunch of links to learn about preventing problems like this in the future and lots of other ferret info you need to keep her healthy, but will cut this short so you can get it quickly - hope to hear from you SOON!!!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

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

QUESTION: I took her to the vet this morning after emailing you - he said she had an upper resp infection, and didn't look dehydrated at all...She got a cortizone, B12, Vit C & another type of shot to increase her appetite.  He said her adrenal glands were not swollen and looked normal.  Her Rx is amoxicillan 2 x a day until Mon.  She has already drank-Thanks for the quick response!!!  Tabatha

Answer
Hi Tabatha:

Oh, I'm SO relieved!  You didn't mention anything about any difficulty breathing or any congestion (?).  Is she eating yet? She will need some extra fluids no matter what is going on. Ferrets seem to dehydrate really quickly when they don't feel well. The first thing a sick ferret does is stop eating and drinking.  It's GREAT that you were paying attention and got her to a vet so quickly - you are definitely a better-than-average ferret mommy!  Wish we had a few thousand more like you! :-)

I promised to recommend a few new owner links and book for you if you wrote again, so will do that for you.  The best 'covers it ALL and is fun to read too' is called: FERRETS FOR DUMMIES by Kim Schilling.  The best all-around website is http://www.ferretcentral.org  - just jump in and start reading anywhere, pay specific attention to 'ferretproofing' - that's a really big one.  

Another huge deal for ferrets is nutrition. Here's the best website on nutrition:  http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html   Just remember that ferrets are "obligate carnivores", which means they MUST eat meat - no fruits, no vegetables, NO dried fruit as in the ferret-killing food called Kaytee Fiesta (do not buy!) and be sure to read ingredients in food and treats - it's PROVEN that ferrets who eat sugar, either as treats like "Yogies" or even in the form of fruits (which is a form of sugar too) or carbs like corn really high on the list of ingredients in their food (*FOOD NOTE: first five ingredients *should* be some kind of meat or meat byproduct of some kind, not a carb) will develop a disease called "insulinoma" within about two years. NOT a fun disease to get - much like diabetes in that you have to give them injections and constantly monitor blood glucose levels. If ferrets don't get sugar or fruits, they don't get insulinoma - simple :-)

Some great websites for new owners:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferret#See_also
http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ferret_school/ferretschool_aboutfe

http://www.ferretcentral.org  & scroll down to topic necessary
http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ferret_school/ferretschool_aboutfe

http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ask_angela/index.html

Some GREAT online ferret groups HERE:

* http://groups.msn.com/FERRET---AlternateMessageBoard/messages.msnw
* http://groups.msn.com/mynorwegianferretfamily/myferretgroup.msnw
* http://www.ferretuniverse.com/

I know that's a lot of information, but new ferret owners need to learn a LOT to keep their little ones for teaching them the hard way :-) (and the expensive way too!)

Please feel free to come back any time at all - I'm so happy your little Roo's problem turned out to be nothing life-threatening...hope she eats soon. A ferret who isn't eating is always a huge concern. If she still hasn't eaten, please get some Hill's A/D feline canned prescription diet from a vet's office OR some chicken baby food, warm and feed with your finger. She won't like either at first, but make her taste it off your finger a few times and eventually she should eat it. She MUST not go longer than six hours without food and fluids or she must go back to the vet or hospital to get emergency fluids, k?

Best of luck - please come back any time!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers