My Ferret is Sick

Question
Hi I'm Destiny.I Am 9 Years Old.My Pet Ferret Isn't Eating.I Am getting Scared That She Might Die Because Of Her Eating Habits.She Is 1 Years Old And Not Even 1 Pound.She Used To Be Very Plump.But On September 13th 2007 She Has Lost A Couple Of Ounces.And Also I Was Thinking About Adopting A Baby Ferret.Do You Think Thats A Good Idea?Please,Make The Answer As Long As You Want.Thank You!~ Curious Animal

Answer
Hi Destiny:

First of all, let's worry about the ferret you already have that is sick. You don't want to bring another ferret into a situation where maybe it could get sick also. Your ferret MAY have something contagious, especially if you have been at the pet store handling ferrets (they often carry parasites that can make your ferret very ill).  Since we don't know what is wrong with your current ferret - you MUST find out what is wrong before you expose another ferret to it. Let's help this one before we even THINK of getting another one.

You didn't say - is your ferret pooping normally? What did the last poops look like? Were they smaller than usual?  The first thing that always concerns me when a ferret stops eating is that it may have an intestinal blockage. That's the first thing you MUST rule out. To do this, you need to get your ferret to an exotics vet (a vet who works with ferrets) for a barium xray. The vet will give your ferret a bit of barium in food and when the ferret swallows it, the vet can watch it go thru his digestive tract on xrays - if there is a blockage, the vet will know where it is and will possibly do surgery to remove it. Sometimes the barium actually pushes the blockage out, if you're really lucky.

If your ferret is weak and acting ill, it is probably VERY ill, as ferrets hide their illnesses until they are almost to a point of dying, so your feeling that your ferret may be dying is probably accurate.  Is there an emergency vet clinic anywhere near you that you can take your ferret for just some sub-Q (under the skin) fluids?  If so, that will be enough to help your ferret thru the weekend if you can't get a vet to examine your ferret before Monday. You will need to take your ferret in for fluids AT LEAST TWICE A DAY between now and the time he can be seen by a ferret vet.  It's even possible that a vet at the emergency vet service can give your ferret a barium test, since it really doesn't require any special training.

It is URGENT that you NOT force feed your ferret if he doesn't want to eat - UNTIL YOU FIND OUT IF THERE IS A BLOCKAGE, because IF there is a blockage, you could cause the intestines to rupture (break open) and your ferret would die. This is a very urgent situation - and I understand you are a child, but you can show this email to your parents and stress to them that it is an emergency that your ferret be seen by a vet A.S.A.P. and it MUST receive emergency fluids yet tonight or it very possibly won't live thru the night.  This is just part of the responsibility we take when we bring a ferret home....we must always do what is best for the ferret, even if it's at an inconvenient time or costs money we wish we didn't have to spend.

I will give you a list of vets who work with ferrets - vets that other ferret owners have recommended. Since I'm not sure where you live, I will give you links and you can check each one for the vet closest to you:

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

Please offer your ferret some fluids - some cool water with a dropper or a syringe (with needle removed) - or even let him drink some cool water out of your hand, licking your fingers and hand (make sure your hands are really clean first) - that may make him more comfortable if he is thirsty, BUT, it is NOT nearly enough to save his life. If he has gone 12 hours without eating, he MUST get sub-Q fluids injected under his skin as soon as possible - EVERY MINUTE COUNTS.  He will need probably 75cc or more of fluids to rehydrate his body twice a day (so, as you can see, you obviously can't get that much down him and it MUST be given under the skin) - so you MUST get him to a vet TONIGHT.  Please check thru the URL's above and find the vet nearest to you (they are listed by State, then by City) and get your ferret there.  

AFTER you have taken your ferret to a vet and at least gotten fluids (if not a barium xray), please write again and I can TRY to help you get this little guy thru the weekend.  While you are at the vet's, get some Hill's A/D that you can add water to, and warm to make a soupy "gravy" type food and then try offering your ferret small amounts at a time from your finger - even just a few teaspoonfuls at a time is okay if you do it every two hours.  Just remember, DO NOT FORCE FEED your ferret until he has a barium xray and you are SURE he doesn't have a blockage in his intestines.

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(Do this part LATER, after you deal with the EMERGENCY of getting some fluids in your ferret ASAP at an EMERGENCY VET CLINIC or any vet who will meet you at his office and give the ferret fluids)  Common things that cause blockages are fur that they have licked while grooming, small pieces of toys, rubberbands, styrofoam of any kind, any kind of foam, sometimes fabric, and a bunch of things - some ferrets will eat just about anything, so we must FERRETPROOF the areas they play in. If you would like more information to check your home to see if the area you let your ferret play in is ferretproofed, here is a link to help you:

FERRETPROOFING (do this BEFORE bringing a ferret home if possible):  
*http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/part2.html#ferretproofing
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/yourwebpage10.msnw
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/ferretproofing2.msnw

Don't forget to get some Hill's A/D at the vet so you will have some 'gravy' to offer your ferret over the weekend - and make sure the emergency vet will be willing to meet with you Saturday and Sunday morning and evening to give your ferret fluids again so hopefully he will live thru the weekend.
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I will be here and will check often for messages. Hopefully there is enough information here for you to know what you MUST do if you want that ferret to live. Please let your parents know this is NOT a false alarm...this ferret MUST be given fluid support AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and also over the weekend until he can get a barium xray and eliminate the possibility of an intestinal blockage.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your sick little one. I am on Mountain Standard Time and will check my email last thing before I go to bed tonight and hopefully you will have had your ferret to the vet by then.....PLEASE update me as soon as possible, okay?

sincerely,

jacquie rodgers