Dear Sharin:
 
>We're a few weeks into ECE.  Diarrhea is *much* better & the nasty smell
>is gone.  However, neither ferret is eating on its own; I am hand-feeding
>them chicken baby food.
 
>Both grind their teeth.  I am not seeing tarry stools.  But I should
>assume they have ulcers, right?  I have been giving them carafate before
>meals.
 
>I read back all my ECE information, but I am unclear about this: Are these
>special ECE ulcers, and the response is carafate and otherwise just help
>them get over the ECE & back eating on their own, or are they heliobacter
>ulcers, & we should put them on antibiotics?
 
Ferrets commonly develop ulcers generally as a result of stress or
concurrent disease, and that would be the most likely cause in this case.
There is an old adage in the veterinary community - "When you hear
hoofbeats, don't think about zebras." ECE is a very stressful disease, with
vomiting, diarrhea, hand-feeding, diet changes, subcutnaeous fluids, etc.
- it's no wonder that a lot of ferrets develop ulcers.
 
Stick with the TLC, good nursing care, and the carafate 10 minutes before
each meal.  Give it until they stop grining their teeth, and for a week
after.  Ferrets stop grinding significantly before those ulcers are healed.
Remember we don't give Pepcid AC or other antacids to ECE ferrets - they
have enough malabsorptive problems without screwing up their gastric pH
as well.
 
Yes, they've got ulcers.  No, let's not start treating for Helicobacter at
this time - that'll just put more stress on top of stress.  Stay with the
program, it'll pay off - it just takes time.  Thousands of ferrets can't be
wrong.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3306]