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my 5 yr old boy ferret is very thin & sick - please help

8K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  peeka 
#1 ·
I dont kno where else to go - sev wks ago my 5 yr old boy ferret was fine & later in the day when I got home from work he wouldnt come out of his bed - lethargic, weaving his head, dehydrated....just not himself. Took him to the E-vet & they gave sub-Q fluids & sent me home w/amoxicillan b/c I didnt have the $2000 to pay for all sorts of tests. (he did get a blood test run & that was good/normal & they said he doesnt hav insulinoma).

he took the amoxi 2x/day for 10 days, I fed him soft foods thru an eyedropper & he got a tiny bit better but was pretty much getting thinner & stayed sick for 9 days....then out of the blue he got up, went to the potty & proceeded to bury his face in his bowl of crunchy food & devour it...this continued for a week...him eating normally again, normal stools, normal treat eating, playing, gaining weight.

at the end of the week he became slo & lethargic again & went back & forth from day to day being 'normal' & strong enough to travel the various levels of his cage to being lethargic other days & sleeping a lot, drinking a lot & not eating....then half way thru the week he was normal again & playing w/toys & gaining weight.

tonite after work he was sick again & seems even more lethargic & weak than the nite he was at the E-vet. he drinks lots of water but hasnt gone to the potty. he wont eat his crunchy food or take treats so I tried some soft food (Science Diet a/d for quick weight gain as suggested by my reg ferret vet) thru an eyedropper & he only took one dropper full. he rested a bit & got what seemed to be the dry heaves. . . looked like he would vomit several diff times but hed swallow whatever tried to come out & was even pawing at his own mouth on the inside a few times. I felt so helpless...I tried giving some ferret lax in case hes having trouble going to the bathroom but he only took a little. he is so thin & weak he can barely keep his head up but hes a tough little fighter & still drinks water and walks around slowly.

I have no idea what is wrong with him. hes not losing hair. he had long sections of time he seemed 'back to normal'. the E-vet had already said his blood is fine & its not insulonma. hes not having seizures. when he DOES eat he has normal stools. hes just not gaining weight back & I can feel his bones & I dont know whats wrong or what to do.

I dont have thousands of dollars to run tests or do medical procedures. Im nearly broke after the E-vet already & dont know where else to go. Can someone please help me? Its really heartbreaking holding him and not knowing what I should do or how I should help him?

he lives alone (since his cagemate passed away suddenly last fall in Nov) & hes never had problems til now.

Any advice or ideas are appreciated.
Thank you.
-VickyBee (owner of Timon)
 
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Discussion starter · #3 ·
peeka: thank you for your concern, but I think the other replies to this thread have somehow been deleted b/c I did get quite a few...unfortunately, I did all I could for my furry & could do no more - I made the gut wrenching decision to have him humanely euthanized & he was finally free from his pain & suffering a few weeks ago. I was there with him the entire time and he wasn't alone. It was terribly hard for me to say goodbye to him but I knew it was the best thing for him. The vet told me she thought it may have been some kind of cancer in his abdomen as the amoxi had made him feel a little better but once it wore off he was back to being miserable, not eating & refusing water...

thank you for your concern. I am doing my best to get along now w/o him & have decided to wait a bit before bringing another ferret who needs love into my life again as I mourn my little Timon.

~Vicky
 
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