You wrote:
>I would greatly appreciate input on a health situation involving my only
>ferret.  Boogie Bear is a 5 year old neutered, descented male.  Apart from
>several mast cell tumors in the past he has been very healthy.  I feed
>him Totally Ferret.  About one month ago I started to notice some changes:
>
> Urinating and defecating on carpet where he did not before
> Eating less
> Drinking less
> Irregular stools, sometimes dark and sticky
> Less active
> When awake, more "nervous"=20
> Lip smacking (like he has something in his mouth when he doesn't)
> Watery eye(s)
>
> I took him to my vet who sees a lot of ferrets.  In the past week he has
>lost 1 1/2 oz.  She did not palpate any masses or adrenal enlargement.
>His teeth and moth looked alright.  There is no hair loss.  Temp was
>normal.  Urinalysis showed nothing.  Standard blood panel did not show
>anything of concern to the vet.  She said we could proceed with an
>Adrenal panel but it is very expensive
 
Hey, did she check a fecal sample?
 
>I consulted with another vet today (at a Ferret function in my city) and
>he mentioned that two other blood tests should be done if they haven't
>already: Globulin and Lipase.  He also talked about a biopsy to test for
>bowel inflammatory disease.  He did not palpate any adrenal enlargement
>either.
>
>I have been feeding him A/D for the past two days and my vet has
>prescribed Metronidazole liquid .2ML twice daily.  The other medication
>is Carafate .3cc's three times daily.
>
>He eats the A/D as long as I mix it with water and give it to him out
>of a syringe.  I bought some Hills ZD (also recommended by the vet) but
>Boogie has not touched it.
>
>In the last couple months I have been taking him ouside on a leash which
>he likes.  There is a hole in the front yard that may have belonged to a
>mole or something else.  Boogie liked to dig in it when we were outside.
>Could he have gotten infected from the surroundings of some other animal?
>
>His buddy Little One died in February (she was only 4) and I've wondered
>if it's been harder on him (added stress) without a friend... although he
>didn't seem to care for any that we met at the shelter.  I spend a lot of
>time with him, but wonder if it's enough.
>
>With the death in the family and the dark sticky stools, I'd wonder about
>gastric ulcers here.  But with the exposure outdoors, definitely check a
>fecal, maybe more than once.  Add amoxi to his current protocol, and
>you'd be treating for Helicobacter :-), may be worth a try.
 
Just my $0.02,
 
-Dr. Karen
 
DISCLAIMER:
This e-mail is provided for general informational purposes only.  It is
in no way intended as a replacement for a consultation with a qualified
licensed veterinarian.  If you are concerned about your pet's health, you
should seek the advice of your regular veterinarian as soon as possible.
[Posted in FML issue 3468]