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thejunipertreeSomething is wrong with Edgar, one of my ferrets.
He hasn't been eating very much, if at all. He's lethargic, has a bit of weight loss (but it isn't terribly bad just yet). Earlier in the week, I noticed green stools in the cage and when I cleaned the cage out the other day, some of it was mucousy. I wasn't sure, at the time, which ferret it was coming from. But as HP has shown absolutely no signs of illness and Edgar is, I'm going to assume that it wasn't HP's.
From everything that I've been reading, it appears to be ECE. However, a lot of the symptoms he's exhibiting resemble how he acted a while back when he ate the head off one of his toys and it lodged in his intestine.
I can get him to drink a little water, some of it from a dish and some of it from my finger. But, it's not enough to satisfy me. Especially since his skin isn't snapping back the way it should be. That's dehydration.
I also can't get him to eat anything. I tried the graham cracker treats that I give to the rats, which he loves. Nothing. I tried one of the chicken flavoured cat treats, nothing. I tried moistening his regular food to get it all soft and stinky, nothing. The only thing I've gotten him to ingest his his Nutrical (vitamins in a gel form) and that even has to be forced by scruffing him and rubbing it on his teeth so he'll lick it off.
Just a couple of minutes ago, I had The Engineer tear out the bit of carpet I had installed in the cage. Both ferrets had been ripping at it tremendously and I wanted it gone in case that was the problem, if he had eaten some of it.
He and HP have been in the same cage for about a week, but he just hasn't been the same. At first, I thought he was just sulking because he's used to being the singular ferret of the household. One of the things we always said when watching them interact was I've got a friend now and I don't want him.
I put HP back into the smaller cage, earlier this evening, in the hopes that maybe this is all just stress induced and their introductions would have to move slower. But, I really don't believe that to be the problem.
Tomorrow, I'm going to buy some Gerber baby food (which was recommended to force feed him with) and see if my vet is open. Despite the fact that I don't really have the money for anything major, maybe I can borrow it from my father or see if the vet's office will let me pay on a payment plan or something.
*edit*
Some things I forget the first time I wrote this.
He also has a scabby bump on his left front paw.
I just moved his cage around a little bit. Adjusted the bed he sleeps in so it's closer to the wall of the cage, moved the water bottle to right next to that, and screwed his food dish in so it sits right near the bed, too. I also put 20 pieces of moistened food in the dish, so in the morning I can count them and see if any were eaten.
Also, he just pooped as I was writing this. Not in the litter box, which is a rarity for him. And it was all mucousy and sick looking. Not bright green, however.
He hasn't been eating very much, if at all. He's lethargic, has a bit of weight loss (but it isn't terribly bad just yet). Earlier in the week, I noticed green stools in the cage and when I cleaned the cage out the other day, some of it was mucousy. I wasn't sure, at the time, which ferret it was coming from. But as HP has shown absolutely no signs of illness and Edgar is, I'm going to assume that it wasn't HP's.
From everything that I've been reading, it appears to be ECE. However, a lot of the symptoms he's exhibiting resemble how he acted a while back when he ate the head off one of his toys and it lodged in his intestine.
I can get him to drink a little water, some of it from a dish and some of it from my finger. But, it's not enough to satisfy me. Especially since his skin isn't snapping back the way it should be. That's dehydration.
I also can't get him to eat anything. I tried the graham cracker treats that I give to the rats, which he loves. Nothing. I tried one of the chicken flavoured cat treats, nothing. I tried moistening his regular food to get it all soft and stinky, nothing. The only thing I've gotten him to ingest his his Nutrical (vitamins in a gel form) and that even has to be forced by scruffing him and rubbing it on his teeth so he'll lick it off.
Just a couple of minutes ago, I had The Engineer tear out the bit of carpet I had installed in the cage. Both ferrets had been ripping at it tremendously and I wanted it gone in case that was the problem, if he had eaten some of it.
He and HP have been in the same cage for about a week, but he just hasn't been the same. At first, I thought he was just sulking because he's used to being the singular ferret of the household. One of the things we always said when watching them interact was I've got a friend now and I don't want him.
I put HP back into the smaller cage, earlier this evening, in the hopes that maybe this is all just stress induced and their introductions would have to move slower. But, I really don't believe that to be the problem.
Tomorrow, I'm going to buy some Gerber baby food (which was recommended to force feed him with) and see if my vet is open. Despite the fact that I don't really have the money for anything major, maybe I can borrow it from my father or see if the vet's office will let me pay on a payment plan or something.
*edit*
Some things I forget the first time I wrote this.
He also has a scabby bump on his left front paw.
I just moved his cage around a little bit. Adjusted the bed he sleeps in so it's closer to the wall of the cage, moved the water bottle to right next to that, and screwed his food dish in so it sits right near the bed, too. I also put 20 pieces of moistened food in the dish, so in the morning I can count them and see if any were eaten.
Also, he just pooped as I was writing this. Not in the litter box, which is a rarity for him. And it was all mucousy and sick looking. Not bright green, however.
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Date: 2003-09-21 08:31 pm (UTC)when my cat janey was so sick, and wouldn't eat, they had me syringe feed her baby food (watered down a bit if it didn't easily suck up into the syringe), or canned cat food, also watered down a bit if necessary. she fought it, but it was the only way to get any food in her.
they also had me syringe feed her watered down chicken broth, and/or water. she seemed to take the broth a little better.
also, after you take him to the vet, and they tell you how to make him better (i'm keeping my fingers crossed), if he seems to resist forcefeeding and still needs it, ask them to show you how. you may already know how, but it was such a fight with me every time with janey, with her upset and me crying, and once they showed me their special technique, it was SO EASY.
either way, i'm totally thinking about you and edgar. poor lil guy...hopefully he'll be feeling better soon.