Use VETASYL Instead of Ferret Lax....

Question
QUESTION: the two i speak of were rescued from a pet store fire...they were exposed to smoke for about 12 hours... Sunny was a bit chubby when i got her but with daily excercise had begun to become more active and trim down.  Sugar was a bit thin but has filled out wonderfully and is non stop energy!  both seem to me to be "packing it on!"  they are on Marshalls and have fresh food at all times.  i am abit worried about Sunny because i also began giving them melatonin hoping to ward off adrenal disease and i have read it can cause weight gain.  two weeks ago we also rescued 4 others from a safari sanctuary where they had been dumped.  two of the girls already have AD and i think all 4 were being starved.  so they are a slurry diet along with kibble.  we now have 10 woozals and they are all rotten! the 4 are slowly, steadilly gaining weight and energy, 3 are now begginning to play, one is still struggling but showing improvement   Sunnys weight gain... what do you think?

ANSWER: Hi Vicki:

It sounds like all those kids are getting spoiled rotten, which is music to my ears! :-)  You sound like one great ferret mom.

It's quite normal for a ferret who has been cage-bound and suddenly gets a good diet and exercise to slim down a bit and get some good, firm musculature in the shoulders, legs, etc. There is nothing worse for a ferret than being left to just sit in a cage.

Great idea to get them on melatonin. Many well informed ferret owners are using that to hopefully ward off Adrenal Disease - it's not a 'sure thing', but I believe there is evidence to show that it just may make a significant difference and there is certainly no down side to giving it.

Giving the kids "slurry" (duk soup) once  day is great for adding some extra nutrients and packing on a bit of weight. Almost any ferret who starts a diet supplemented with warm soup (or slurry) will gain a bit of weight.

The thing you do want to watch out for is that "pear" shape...skinny upper body and very bloated out belly - this can indicate cardiac problems, so you want to keep a watch on it if that belly really starts getting big.

It sounds to me as if they are all doing wonderfully. Watch their activity levels and as long as all are active and playing everyday for at least 3 hours, they are probably just fine. If Sunny poops out sooner than that, you may want your vet to check her just to be sure she doesn't have a heart problem starting up.

Best of luck - it's so good to hear from you!  Hug those babies for me!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers


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QUESTION: i am so gld you're back!  hope you had a great vacation!  well, you may need to shoot me....:-}   we got 2 more tonight!  so scared, so cage frustrated and one being starved!  i was livid!!  stupid stupid people! ( no we're not trying to save the world :-))  the little one weighs maybe 1/2 lb  she came home and got food food food. she was sooo hungry!  i will feed her more kibble/baby food (fairly thick) again around 3am. she is nibbling on kibble a bit but just a couple of pieces. supposedly they are about 2. dont think so!  beautiful babies whose owners didnt want and were feeding cheap catfood. no time out of the cage so we let them run for a couple hours until speedbump syndrome set in :-}  they had chewed up their hammock and were in small rabbit cage!  so they got their first dose of laxatone (not too well liked lol) the little one ate about 20cc  the male is devouring the kibble :-) the male is passing hammock material ok so far i'm watching them pretty close.  the male is pretty frustrated, he gave mom quite bite, and wouldn't let go! jeez!  we have learned that when they wont release to rub the side of their faces with a damp cloth. he let go almost immediately... lots of blood... poor baby.

Daisy is still with us :-) Snickers has put on almost a lb! and the Romperroom crew are doing wonderful!  we now have a 7ft cage with 5 shelves and a 6 fter with 5 sheves and they both have dark "caves" for sleeping hammocks and toys! yaaah!  they all come out to run for a couple hours each day.

i think maybe Sunny was a little plugged up.  she got a stiff dose of laxatone last night and was back to her bouncy self today,  i could feel a "firmish" line in her tummy which no longer there...yaaaah!  I am really glad you're back!    Vicki
ANSWER: Hi Vickie:

No vacation here, unfortunately. I lost one of my ferrets and have been incredibly upset, so took a bit of time off. I checked the 'question pool' - where people put questions they don't know what to do with - and saw your note and HAD to answer you! :-)

Gosh, I'm so glad you seem to find more room for those precious little ones who need love and care so badly. It sounds like you really have a nice set-up for them and a great daily routine too.

Hey, I've discovered something for *partial* blockages.  One of my ferrets had surgery for a blockage last year, so my vet had recommended I give him  dose of lax every night at bedtime, which I've done faithfully for over a year. Well, the other night I noticed his poops were a bit small for as large as he is.  I have some stuff called "VETASYL" to help our cat pass hairballs. It is made of psyllium husks (in a capsule).  Just for the heck of it, I stirred up some really soupy (lots of liquid) warm duck soup for my little guy and opened one of these capsules and put the contents into it (toss the capsule itself away), stirred it well and gave it to him.  Next morning there was a hairball the size (width AND length) of my little finger!!  GOSH, what a close call he had & I didn't even know it!

Just to be on the safe side, I gave it again the following two nights at bedtime - and once again, he passed some more smaller hairballs.   

SOOOO.......from now on, I will give one Vetasyl capsule in some really watery soup (you MUST give a LOT of fluids when you give it, or it could cause a blockage...so use a LOT of fluid - I use basically a teaspoon of Uncle Jim's dry duck soup mix in about 8 oz of warm water with one capsule opened into it and stirred well. No more of the sugary (shown to cause insulinoma in their old age) lax for us - we're going "fiber" in our house.  Maybe that would be a good thing to give your poor little hammock eating boy...three days in a row to be sure he's cleaned out good....or however long he keeps passing anything other than poop.  My ferret had noticeably larger diameter poops after the treatment, so I *know* it worked.

I wouldn't give it to a ferret that I suspected had a blockage unless I was going to be home, monitor closely and be ready to take the ferret to the vet for surgery IF he cannot pass the fiber....just a suggestion :-)

Give those lucky little ones a big hug!  Congrats!!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

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QUESTION: i'm soooo sorry you lost your baby....he/she will be waiting for at the bridge...:-)   i lost one today too. the new boy ATTACKED both me and my mom literally. and wouldnt stop or let go...we're talking blood and torn skin...SEVERE bite wounds   it was awful!!  i called my vet and told her...he cant be around children and at this rate could not be placed....i was sick!  we took him in to be put down   BUT  we talked to Dr Cash extensively and explained him probably being scared to death and pissed off and she agreed.  we didnt feel comfotable placing him anywhere.  while talking she called one of her former techs and explained what was going on, none of us wanted him put down!  Dr Cash has alot of respect for Katherine and Kate agreed to take him (she just lost her fuzzie too) and Doc assured us that if he could be brought out of this Kate could do it!  we were elated!  he soooo needs the chance to do this....the attacks were more than we could handle....not your typical bite you cause im mad...this was I HATE YOU!  it was abit scarry   mom got the worst of it.   we are calling the baby TUKI-TUKI  yeah yeah corny i know.  she is very young and now that she and i are bonding  she wont hardly leave my lap to go look around.  i would imagine shes pretty scared too. she wants me to hold all the time :-) which i love!  she'll sit on my chest, eat a bit then get down for a minute... then right back she comes!  i dont mind being her *security* blanket at all!  she'll grow out of it and we'll still be close.

iwill get vetasyl tommorrow. thanks for the tip!!!

i wish you were close by.. i would give you Snickers to warm your heart.  shes a lover and doing soooo good!  wants to run all the time! :-)    likes to burrow into your shirt for a snuggle!  lol. when i brought her home she weighed 1.25lbs  now at 2.05!  and when she got here she gagged and vomited her food. NOT NOW BABY! no longer wobbly either!  i'm weaning her onto kibble soupy but thick without the baby food... shes not real happy about it yet. lol  she too likes ham and veal and beef of all things! LOL  she was doing some tooth grinding...one of her teeth has a dark spot...but that has stopped as well.

i just read (finally found your note about the pictures..DUH!  give me a couple of days and i will get them to you.  thank you for grabbing my question!  i was floored that the other *EXPERT* had no reply!  lol

YOU DA MAN!       Vicki
ANSWER: Tee hee......er, da woman? LOL You are too kind; I'm just a ferret mom trying to help other ferret moms and dads.  Your little girl sounds like my Kylie that I just lost.She was truly the joy of my life. She remained a one person ferret thru her life. She was always in my arms, on my lap and would only play on the floor when I laid down on the floor and played with her. She was quite a companion - she would *never* let anyone else touch her, tho, or she would bite them to the bone. I was not her first home and I think she was always afraid someone would take her from me.

The tooth grinding you're talking about is not usually due to tooth pain, but actually usually means they are having an upset tummy OR even stomach ulcers if they do it more than just a very short time. Very treatable with three drugs together (it takes two antibiotics and a stomach antacid).  Definitely check with your vet if it continues - it's pretty common in ferrets that have been psychologically upset, as new home, traumatic experience, change in diet and/or routine, etc. If treated aggressively, regularly and early, it is very treatable- but always pay attention to either grinding of teeth OR pawing at the roof of the mouth - both indicate serious stomach problems not to be ignored.  Hope that helps...

Hugs to the babies!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

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QUESTION: wellllll, i got one for ya!  :-)    Tuki(the baby) has a new trick.... she grabs the wire at the top of her cage....with her teeth....shakes and rattles it abit....and then hangs there and falls asleep!  WHAT THE HECK!?!  LOL  she will eventually let go and then take nap,  i get her out several times a day, mainly because she is so small....??? LOL    your thoughts?  Vicki
ANSWER: Oh my goodness! I've never heard of that one before! :-)  She is really a little monkey, isn't she? LOL

My thoughts are that it can't be good for her little teeth. I would do a really thorough exam of the teeth and see if any are missing or rotted, or possibly need dental work (put your thumb on one side of her mouth, index finger on the other side and *encourage* her to open and let you look at her teeth).  If all her teeth are okay, maybe put a dark covering over the cage at night so she gets lots of good quality rest.

Kits are silly and will do just about anything...but this is really wacky! LOL   You are wise to spend a LOT of time with her while she's young so she will bond with you.  Of course, don't forget those other little eyes watching and feeling jealous when they see her getting love and they aren't :-(    I'm sure you will at least greet them and give them a quick hug and kiss so they know you love them too.   All ferrets should be out of the cage to play in a safe, ferretproof room for at least 2-3 hours a day....if you have trouble fitting that into your schedule, you might want to think about getting a Midwest (brand name) small animal 'playpen'.  Midwest even has extra panels you can purchase to make the area larger. This is a great way to know your ferret is in a ferretproofed area because you can control what they can get to :-)  Also, Marshalls makes a playpen, but it's substantially lighter weight. This one is white, fairly heavy duty metal and the wires are vertical so they can't climb the sides.  Toss in safe toys, food, water, a litterbox, and a blankie to crawl under to sleep and they are set!

Give those fuzzies a kiss from me, k?  ....even the ornery ones LOL :-))

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

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QUESTION: checked her teeth this afternoon ... theyre fine,  already using the towel trick... does it anyway LOL  she comes ot to play for about 2 hours then she speedbumps for a while  everybody gets hugs and kisses all day long... i like to kiss their noses when theyre sleeping... they open their eyes and look at me and go right back to sleep :-)  i wuv my woozals!  lol
yesterday Daisy actually felt good enough to play!  i was soooo happy!  today she did alot of snooping and she is finally eating those 20 small meals like ferrets do! she ran around for about an hour which is a major accomplishment considering how sick he was when we got her!  her liver is still somewhat enlarged but seems to be going down some...i am hoping with proper care,diet excersise and lots of love that it regain proper size and function    she is doing so much better!     Vicki    the woozals say "HI!"
ANSWER: Hi Woozles!

You are a good ferret mommy. I can never keep my hands off them when they are sleeping either LOL. They just look SO precious!!  

It's not too unusual for ferrets to have an enlarged spleen or liver. The spleen, of course, can be removed if it gets too large - not so with the liver, but it does heal itself to some extent over time with quality food and good care.  Sounds like your kids have the best of everything, so Daisy has the best chance in the world to get as well as she possibly can..

You're a good ferret mommy, Vicki!  It really warms my heart to hear from ferret parents who are obviously doing a great job with their little ones :-)

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

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QUESTION:  i want you to know that i really appreciate all of your encouragement!  its such a pleasure to hear from you each time..you really make me feel good about what im doing...right or wrong...THANK YOU     Vicki
ANSWER: It takes a lot of work to keep ferrets properly and it sure looks like you have stepped up to the plate! :-)

How is the little guy doing that ate the hammock?  I hope his poops are nice and big around by now....if not, consider that he may not have passed it all and use Vetasyl, but then watch very closely it doesn't make him vomit (would probably mean blockage needs vets attention immediately).  Let me know, k?

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

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QUESTION: the baby..Tuki   doesn't play at all... is that normal?  will she come out of it?  does that mean she younger than i thought?  i thought play was inherent....

Answer
Hi Vicki:

Anytime a ferret isn't playing, they are *screaming* that something is wrong with them.  If they even 'slow down' for more than a day or two, it usually means something is very very wrong.  Since ferrets "hide" their illnesses, by the time they look sick, they are usually at death's door, so it's really important to follow up right away when you notice them not playing normally.

Really young babies do sleep a lot, but she would be teeny tiny if she were that young.  Can't help thinking she might need an xray at the vet to be sure something isn't wrong inside (maybe intestinal blockage, heart problem, etc...can't tell wlithout at least a good thorough vet exam).  Babies of adoptable age sleep less, and play HARD, usually for a long time and wear out all the oldsters.

She could have anything from an intestinal blockage, heart problem, some kind of deformity inside - just hard to tell, but a good, ferret-knowledgeable vet should be able to tell with an exam.  Hope you have a good vet that knows ferrets. If not, here are places where you can find vets by state, zip code, etc.:

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)

Any ferret that's not playing needs to be examined.  Lemme know what you find out, k?

Thoughts and prayers for your little Tuki baby.....

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers