not playing

Question
QUESTION: I have 2 ferrets and everyday they play hard together and with me several times a day. Today tho, the little one (Bandit) played as normal, but the older one (Snow) doesn't want anything to do with anyone. I bring him and Bandit out front to play and immediatly Snow runs to his cage. He almost acts like he is scared of something. He has been eating and drinking normally. I am not sure what to make of this. Any ideas??


ANSWER: Hi Claudia:

That is strange behavior, for a little guy who usually plays!  These are the subtle changes that ferret owners have to watch for to catch problems early.

I would recommend you take Snow out of the cage and put him on your lap and check him all over, gently touching up and down all four legs, looking at his toenails to be sure he doesn't have a broken nail, etc; look at his tummy and see if it appears to be bloated or tender, check his neck, feeling all around it for little bumps that might be swollen glands; look under his tail and check his tail to be sure it doesn't have any weird bumps or bends in it (they can break them). It's possible that Snow either is not feeling well today, OR that he has gotten injured inside the cage - maybe a toenail broken off too short, etc.

This is the beginning of flu season also. I always like to remind people to wash their hands before handling their ferrets, especially school children or anyone who has been outside the house (store, post office, etc) who could bring the flu bug home with them. Ferrets CAN catch viruses from us and they get just like we do - they want to lay around and just rest for a few days. He may even have a runny nose, sneeze or cough.

Take your index finger and thumb and encourage Snow to open his mouth so you can look at his throat - is it red? Do you see any teeth that don't look right?

If you thoroughly have checked him over and don't see anything wrong with him, watch him closely for 24 hours and make sure that he is eating and drinking.  If he is not - get him to the vet. That's usually the gauge we use to determine when it's time to go to the vet.  Of course if you found any painful areas on his body, bloated tummy, loose teeth or sore throat, these are all good reasons to get him to a vet also.  

Ferrets are just like we are. Every now and then they have a day they just aren't feeling up to par.  As long as he is eating, drinking, pooping nice big poops and not losing weight, it's *probably* nothing urgent.....but do keep an eye on him to watch for any further symptoms. You say that Snow is "older" - maybe he just needs to take a rest day - we all do that when we get older.  They slow down a bit, don't play as hard as they did as young kits.  But if you see ANY weight loss, less eating, drinking or pooping, I hope you will get him to a vet right away. With ferrets, we don't usually have long from the time they get serious symptoms (weight loss, eating/drinking/pooping problems) to get help for them.

I would recommend you try again to let him out to play; maybe cuddle him a bit and check him over, then put him down to play and see if he feels a bit more like playing. If not, watch him closely for 24 hours and decide if maybe you should take him to the vet for a checkup. That never hurts and it's always better to be safe than sorry. You know your ferret and if you suspect something is wrong, it probably is.

Here are some lists of ferret vets that other ferret owners have compiled - they are vets who work well with ferrets (not all vets know about ferrets). If you don't already have a vet, I hope you'll consider having Snow examined, especially if there is no change by tomorrow OR if there are any more symptoms between now and then:

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

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)

VET TO VET HELP: (procedure videos & phone consultations)
* http://www.westendanimal.com   Dr. Deborrah Kemmerer *order medical procedure videos (vets)
* http://www.bradleyhills.com   Dr. Charles Weiss - *does vet to vet telephone consultations for a fee*
* http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html   Dr. Bruce Williams *pathology only* http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
* http://www.lbah.com/404.html      Long Beach Animal Hospital

Best of luck to you and to Snow - please let me know how he is tomorrow, okay?

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers


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

QUESTION: Snow seems better. He has been out playing and acting himself. I bought some *vetasyl* for both of them. Problem is that I can't get Snow to eat anything to take it with. So, can I mix with something and syringe it to him? And if so how much liquid?? Thanks a million for the help.

ANSWER: Hi Claudia:

I'm so glad you were able to get Vetasyl locally - I was concerned about that.

You want to be sure to give enough so that the Vetasyl doesn't stiffen up too much - so I would think 4 to 6 OUNCES...close to a coffee mug full - in other words, a pretty large amount. The more fluid, the more this stuff will expand and you will get a better and more thorough "scrubbing" of the inner walls of the intestines.  Maybe you could feed him  something liquid that he loves with the Vetasyl mixed in it. DON'T get the vetasyl down and then decide they won't drink because it will solidify and may cause problems....so be sure it goes in WITH the liquid.  My kids LOVE grape flavored Propel and will drink it as long as I give it to them! Give it a try if you can get ahold of some.  It also has some good electrolytes that will keep his gut in good order and his system balanced.

Thanks for the update - lemme know what comes out tonight or tomorrow - I'm so hoping something gets passed.  I ussually pick the poops up with paper towels, then take a popsicle stick and just smear it across the paper towel (use several layers of paper towels for sanitary purposes) - kind of like smearing peanut butter on bread LOL.  This way you can see exactly what has been passed. Don't forget to do it three days in a row - that way just in case something got loosened, but didn't  move out yet, it has a good chance to get out.  I love this vetasyl and swear by it after my experiences with Gilbert.
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When I gave him the ferretlax and cat laxatives, I NEVER saw anything in his poops - no wonder, nothing was coming out!  With this vetasyl, you not only see large, bulky poops coming out (and sweeping the insides of the intestines on the way out), but you actually get to see what was in there.  Gilbert passed one medium hairball that had lots of pus on one end (sorry so graphic), but I think it was becoming infected...what I do know is that he really felt better after it was out. I did follow again the following day with another good dose and LOTS of fluids just in case there was still any infection in there and lo and behold, out came some green slimy stuff.

Same as for people, I just think this "bulk" laxative is so much healthier for them!  Hope your kids love Propel Grape flavor....Gilbert chases me around the house for mine!!  LOL

Let me know what you find when the 'prizes' start coming thru :-)

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers


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

QUESTION: Well the grape propel was a bust and I have tried several things also. He just refuses to eat or drink anything other than his food (8 in 1 and marshalls mixed) and water. Sometimes he will get a bandit ferret raisan flavored treat. No problem getting Bandit to eat or drink for a vetasyl...he eats anything. He also never sleeps, but that's another story . So what do you suggest for Snow in order to give him the Vetasyl? All I can think of is to syringe him about 8 little syringe fulls of whatever. That would only be 24ml total. What do you think??

Answer
Hi Claudia:

Best thing I can think of for Snow is to take a small amount of his normal kibble, put it in a blender until it is a powder, then add some of it to warm water until it's the consistency of thin gravy.  Maybe even remove the kibble from their cage for a couple of hours (NO more than 2 hours), then offer the "soup".  If he eats it well, tomorrow do the same thing except add the contents of one capsule (throw away the capsule itself) stirred into the mixture. You do have to be sure it is a thin mixture, as the Vetasyl will begin to thicken as soon as you add it to the mix. You really want it to do the majority of its "swelling" once he has eaten it in some very 'soupy' gravy.

I hesitate to tell people to "syringe" feed their ferrets unless the ferrets life is in danger from it not eating/drinking, and then I recommend fluids only and done very carefully - with the ferret *upright* so he doesn't choke (many people tend to lay the ferret on their backs to syringe feed and that is very dangerous).

If Snow is still not feeling well, try giving him the 'soupy' gravy one evening and if he eats it you can be pretty sure he will eat it the next evening also. Make it a warmer than lukewarm - remember that a ferret's normal temperature is about 103 degrees, so you want it to seem nice and warm to him - but not enough to burn his mouth. You should be able to stir it with your finger comfortably.  Also, you may want to try feeding him from a spoon; I'm amazed at how much 'yummier' things seem to my ferrets when fed with a spoon :-)

Let me know if that works, k?  You definitely do NOT want to get Vetasyl down him with too small amount of fluids, as it could set up too firmly and could even cause a blockage - so be exxxtra sure you are getting as much fluid down him as possible - the 'soupy' gravy mix of his kibble and very warm water should be sufficient.

It's always a good idea to get your kids used to eating 'soup' of some kind. Usually at some time during their lives they have some kind of illness that requires them to be handfed with your fingers or syringe fed.  Keep trying until you get Snow to eat the soupy mix, even if he doesn't take to it right away.  Offer it every night for a week and see if he doesn't start to accept it. Be sure it'si FRESH mixture every night and throw out any he doesn't eat in one sitting.

Let me know how it goes - I really think a bit of encouragement and patience will have him becoming a good little soup eater in no time :-)   You could even put a bit of Ferretone in the soup mix if he likes Ferretone (what ferret doesn't? :-)

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers