Sick ferret - intestinal blockage

Question
Hi Jacquie, I've got a very ill ferret on my hands with an intestinal blockage.  Turbo has been to the vet already, he stayed for two days.  He threw up at home, bringing up a hairball, and again at the vet, bringing up more.  At the time the vet released Turbo the dye substance they gave him was passing through his system- so they sent him home with us.  We gave him lax as prescribed, diarhea persisted, he continued to act normal, though skinnier.  

Things seemed fine until Thurs. the 14th when we realized he was picking up his food and moving it, but not actually eating it, and has since grown very lethargic.  Fri morning we got him on Gerber chicken baby food and I called the vet-they suggested adding nutri-cal as well.  I also added pedialyte to his waterbottle as he won't drink more than a couple drops plain.  Turbo's stool seems to be firming a *little, but is still very gooey/runny, first day since thurs-fri it's not completely pudding.  

Should we do anything different to try to help him recover?  I'm planning on adding duck soup to his eating tomorrow, Turbo has lost 3 oz of weight since friday-basically 3 days going from 2 lbs 8 oz to 2 lbs 5 oz a smallish portion of a large decline, he is very skinny already.  Turbo's 14 months, he was likely towards 4 lbs before this all began.  The surgery quote we recieved is $600-$800, more than we can afford to spend.  We feel we are reaching a very harsh decision.  Any advice is greatly appreciated and I thank you for your time!

Answer
Hi Nathan:

I'm so sorry to hear that you have a sick little guy. Intestinal blockages are usually fatal if not treated aggressively and in a timely manner. Sometimes a ferret can barf it up, sometimes they pass it thru their poops and sometimes it just will not move unless a surgery is performed to remove it.

You don't say how long ago the first blockage happened, when you had him at the vet's office.  I have the feeling that it has all been very recently, so will go on that assumption.  

It is not unusual for the barium the vet uses as a dye to carry a blockage out of the intestines, and apparently that's what your vet believed was happening when he sent your little guy home.  From what you are describing to me, however, it sounds like he still has a blockage - possibly even a new one.  Is there something in his cage or in the house that he's getting ahold of and eating - rubber? soft plastic? pencil erasers, shoe insoles, packing peanuts...these are some of the most common things that cause blockages.  I would do a very serious and thorough sweep of the areas of the house he is allowed to play in and make SURE he's doesn't have access to anything that could cause a blockage, or this could become a chronic problem and will eventually kill him.  I suspect that possibly he has ingested something *again* and has gotten another blockage; or possibly the other blockage didn't pass all the way thru.

From your email, it sounds like you truly don't have money to go back to the vet.  Therefore, I'm going to stick my neck out and we will try everything we can to get the blockage to move along and get some fluids into that little guy. ***Just know that the RIGHT thing to do is to take him back to the vet, probably get some sub-Q fluids, and another barium xray. ****   If you can't afford it, you can't.....just realize that there is a very good chance that this will not work and your ferret will die as a result of not taking him to the vet. Blockages need immediate and aggressive treatment.  At-home treatments are rarely adequate :-(

FOR THE BLOCKAGE:  Give him about a big teaspoonful of ferretlax or cat laxative 3 to 4 times a day to keep him lubed up. You can also give him a few tablespoons of virgin olive oil on a little plate (you can add a few drops of Ferretone to this to help get it down). Give this olive oil treatment twice during the same day, in between the laxative treatments. Know that there is a possibility that he could aspirate the olive oil, but it does make a big difference in moving along difficult blockages - it's just very risky to give. You need to know that you are taking a very very high risk by treating this yourself and that your ferret may die because you did this instead of taking him back to the vet.  If, however, you have no other options, I suppose this is better than nothing.  To do nothing is to condemn him to a certain death. And, you must do this SOON - the sooner the better...start tonight if you get this in time. That blockage MUST move before infection sets in and before he dehydrates beyond help.  Do this treatment of ferret lax or cat laxative AND the olive oil with ferretone  drops on top of it for up to three days in a row and IF whatever is in there is going to come out, it will.  Otherwise, you will HAVE to get him to surgery to save his life and by then you are three days further down the road, so he will be even weaker going into the surgery.  You must understand that this is very risky and you absolutely could kill him by waiting and by giving this treatment if he aspirates the oil into his lungs.....so, my REAL recommendation is to get him back to the vet.

FLUIDS:  Offer him fresh, cool water AND also either bubblegum or grape flavor diluted 1/2 pedialyte and 1/2 water and attempt to get him to drink this - as much as he will.  If he doesn't drink much, you can encourage him to drink if you have an eyedropper or a syringe with needle removed. If putting a little bit of Ferretone on the fluid makes him drink it, do that...whatever will get fluids down him.

FOOD:  Get Uncle Jim's Duk Soup Mix by Marshalls at your local ferret store and mix it (it's a dry mix) with water, warm in microwave; allow it to sop up the water really well and feed it watery and warm.  You may need to get him to eat from your finger to get him started, but most take to this right away and it's an excellent food source whenever there is any kind of intestinal stuff going on.

CHECKING FOR DEHYDRATION:  If you "scruff" (grab the ferret behind his neck and lift up the skin only, as a mother ferret would do, then let it go)  then let go, and the skin stays up, and does not snap right back down into place, I would really strongly advise you to take him to a vet for sub-Q fluids....keeping him warm and hydrated (plenty of fluids in him) will make the difference between life and death when a ferret is sick.  Those two things are what makes most ferrets lose their battle. Some vets will even show you how to give sub=Q fluids and send home an IV bag and butterfly needles home with you so you can keep the ferret hydrated, as they understand that fluids are the most important way to ensure your ferret stays alive long enough for these treatments to have a chance to work.   Feed the Uncle Jim's - as much as he will eat - at least four to five times a day. If you can get some down him, it will really help a lot.

DISCLAIMER:  I really don't recommend doing the above, HOWEVER, I do know of a person who DID do this and she actually got the ferret to pass the blockage(s) - about six small ones.....separate your ferret from others, if you have more than one, and collect his pooops on a paper towel while fresh... and spread them with a popsicle stick, you can easily see if the ferret has passed hairballs or other items, or if it's just oily poop.  As gross as it sounds, it is crucial that you monitor what comes out of him for the next few days while he's on this severe cleansing routine.

Hopefully he will continue to drink fluids - keep checking his dehydration condition regularly; keep offering warm Uncle Jim's Duk Soup on your finger.

Please, please,let me know how this comes out.  I understand if you really can't afford the vet bills, but perhaps it may be time to consider giving him to someone who can afford the bills, or who has a credit line and can make payments to the vet. Blockages are so horribly fatal for ferrets.  This is the absolute, very dangerous, but possibly effective treatment I know to do in case of emergency when there is no vet available. There is incredible risk involved that Turbo may not even live to complete the three days of treatment.......at only 14 months old, what a shame it would be to have his life cut short because of a vet bill.  I think a good talk with the vet and a payment plan may produce a more definite and SAFE way to do this.  PLEASE know that you MUST get fluids in this little one and put a large towel or extra blankies in his cage to keep him warm, as their temperatures tend to drop when they are sick.

Please, please keep me updated and let me know if he does pass hairballs or other items; or if you end up taking him to the vet.  I am very very concerned about Turbo and wish you and him the best...he is in my thoughts and prayers - please keep me updated?

Sincerely,
Jacquie Rodgers