My oldest Mongo started having a rough time urinating the other day. I almost took him to the emergency vet on Christmas day because he was in such pain when he used the bathroom and I immediately thought "oh know! obstruction!" But later, he went and seemed fine. But he still had diarrhea. Now the baby has diarrhea too! And just an hour ago the baby went in the corner and it was just green slime- no poop just slime! I read about the greenies but where would they pick this up? They aren't around any other ferrets. I also know that this may mean the food flows through the intestinal track rapidly. But what's with them both having diarrhea for the last couple days. This makes me think viral. Could it be the stress of moving them so much for the holidays? I would take them to a vet but I'm 3 hours from my place. Is this something to really worry about? Should I get them to another vet? Please help.

oh, i don't know anything about ferrets, but best wishes to you all, and i hope they get better soon!

Continuous diarrhea (especially green and slimy) is definitely something I'd have seen, tomorrow if at all possible. I'd take one or both in tonight if they're lethargic, not eating, or otherwise acting abnormally.

I would most deffinately take BOTH of them in asap. It could be a multitude of things, but when I hear green slimey poo I immediately think about ECE which can be fatal if left unteated. It is also highly contagious.It is possibly that whatever it is, the baby may have brought it in with him. Green diarrhea could also be associated with upset stomachs & stress.

As for Mongo not urinating, it could be a blockage or kidney related, better to be safe than sorry even if it was just that one time.

Please do keep us updated!

Tycor... how are they doing now?? I've been thinking about them all day!

Well, I've been monitoring their poop and it definitely looks better. Mongo seems to also be urinating with little or no problem now. Even though, I'm going to hed back to my place today so I can have them near their vet. I'm packing now. No more green poop as far as I can see, but it still baffles me that they both had diarrhea. Yeah, fstybrat I was wondering the same thing if the baby brought in something when he was outside that one night. I just dread that idea. You're right- better to be safe. I will take them in and keep you updated. Everything else seems fine- both are playing, eating, drinking, and being brats as usual. Thank you so much for your responses. It means so much to us that you've been thinking of them.

Tycor, what a relief to hear they are doing better!

Maybe they are just stressed from not being at home?? That can cause it as well. I'm sure once they get home in their own familiar surrounding they will snap out of it

yes, please do keepus updated!

Oh. the second I got them home they were so excited. Both with puffy tails... they had so much fun catching up with the place and playing with eachother. I haven't seen them have so much fun in awhile. I hope this makes a difference. We'll see. So far, their happiness tells me that they are so much healthier. The baby couldn't keep up with his own legs! I will keep a close eye on them. As far as I know there is still diarrhea, but I'll give it a day to see if they recuperate. Otherwise I'm home so I can take them to the vet if it persists. I will continue to keep you updated.

good, I'm glad they're doing better! When I brought my hedgie home, it had the same kind of issues, but i think it was just stress due to all the changes. good luck!

Hi,

This happens to my ferrets everynow and then. Yes, it is possible that its ECE, but before you work yourself up about it, make sure its not a hairball or something. When ever my ferrets do this, I find out that its just that they have hair stuck in thier system and I need to double up on thier dose of laxitive.

So, next time, try giving them about a lime-a-bean size of laxitive twice a day for two days and if the symptoms don't clear up by then, you need to take them in to the vet. We had to take Buddy in one time and they put him on amoxi and told us to keep doing the laxitive thing and he was fine by the second day of being on the amoxi. Jessie seems to get the worst hair blockages and when she starts hacking to much and her poops start to get small, I give her the double dose again. I usually give my ferrets laxitive at least once a day. Preventive care is the key here.

Also, about the trouble urinating, it could have been that Mongo had an infection or a minieral blockage. I definetly think it may have been some type of infection. If that happens again, see if he/she will drink a little bit of Cranberry juice, it won't harm them and it helps fight Kidney and Urinery Tract Infections. I would say about a 1/2- 1 tablespoon a day for a ferret untill symptoms are gone. If you don't notice any changes with in 3 days then I highly reccommend seeing the vet! I know cranberry juice helps fight these kind of infections only because as a human I have this problem and I have to take cranberry pills everyday to prevent having this problem.

I hope that this helps you out for furture references.

some very good points
Although keepin mind that if a ferret does fall sick they can hide the sumptoms quite well & sometimes 2 days may be too late.

I'll have to look into theh cranberry juice, just because it is safe for humans doesn't mean it is safe for ferrets as it is high in sugar I believe which is a concern because ferrets really shouldn't have sugar.

What kind of laxitive are you giving your ferrets? Ferretlax? That is iwhat I use for preventiing blockages. Truthfully, if your ferret has blockages frequently then something is wrong or they are getting into something.

Tycor, I'm relieved to hear they are feeling better! I believe this was stress related since it immediately cleared up after going home. If they still have diarrhea make sure to watch them for dehydration though.

Oh, I wish I had the same news. It seemed that they were getting better- and I think the baby is back to normal. But Mongo is having trouble using the bathroom again. Now I can't tell if it's the urinating or the pooping that is hurting him. He almost always does both together. It just looks so painful. He stretches his mouth open and squints his eyes. Fortunately, he is going. If I can't find a ferret laxitive, what should I use that I can pick up at a drug store or something? Is cat laxitive okay? My vet is closed today! It was my only day off. I am keeping them hydrated and they both are just as active as ever. Could this really be a hair blockage? They aren't even shedding. One thought... I have newspaper under each of my litter boxes in case they miss. I wonder if scooting their butt on the ink could create an irritation? What do you think? I've been looking for anything they could have gotten into and unfortunately they were so many places the last few days.. it could have been anything. Oh, should I call off work and get him in tomorrow? I just started this job and I really need the money, but he does mean more to me than any job.

Oh Gosh Tycor!
You can also use vasoline, they don't eat it as willingly because it isn't flavored, but it works the same as ferretlax. It sounds to me like a blockage to be honest I would get some vasoline right away in the meantime & try to get him to the vet as soon as you can. If it is a blockage the determining factor is "what" is it. If it is fairly small the vasoline will lubricate the digestive tract to help him pass it. My concern is if he is obviously in pain then it may not be that small - with out pressing too hard try to feel his belly & see if you feel any abnormal lumps in there, that massage may also help move it along. Also ... look at his rear & see if it is swollen or red - this will indicate if there is irritation from the ink as you mentioned. It doesn't sound like that is the case though.

I'll do some more digging for info for you as soon as I get home from work in about 2 hours. Try to hang in there, I know you're doing all you can right now. DEFFINATELY get some vasoline though if you cant get to the petstore for Ferretlax. Whatever is closest to you & easier to get to - my understanding is they both work the same.

PLEASE keep me updated!! I'll be thinking about you both!

Also... it could be constipation as well - start with the vasoline I see how he is a few hours later. I think it moves through the system fairly fast so you should see some improvement in that short of time.

Hang in there hon!

I bought some vasoline but he's not really eating it. And he doesn't like ferretone so it wouldn't matter if I mixed it in. And I felt his tummy for any lumps- nothing. But what was worse was he did that stretching of his mouth and squinting his eyes when I pushed on his right side. And just a second ago he started rolling on the floor with his mouth stretched again. Now he's playing. I almost know for sure now that it's a blockage. What do we know about this? How long can it stay before it does great damage? Will he need surgery? I'm going to take him in tomorrow. Luckily my boyfriend drove 3 hours to surprise me so I can still go to work and he can take him in. But I want to be there. Oh, I'm so worried. An X-ray won't show rubber will it? How do they find out then for sure? This all just worries me too much. Fstybrat, if you have time, what do you know about blockages and it's damages? Thanks again for everything.