Tommie is a 5 1/2 yrs old neutered Male MF ferret who was diagnosed Sat
with a tumor in his tummy via Xray and I think the vet said his lymph
nodes in his lungs were gray but should have been black. They suggested
Ultrasound. I am financially distressed. BUT I will do whatever I can
to save him!!!

He stopped eating kibble in Feb and I have been feeding him A/D canned
food alternating mixing Gerber Baby Chicken or Turkey food, Felivite,
Nutrical, Ferretone, Pedialyte, Pediasure, Nupro, etc).

Up to now, he had been treated for IBD. He has on/off diarrhea
occasionally with black tarry stools, vomiting a few times a months to
a few times a week and now it is a few times a day. Last week is when
he started the daily vomiting and refusal to eat. I had to force feed
a few times. He got Sub-Q fluids Sat and was a different ferret later
that day. He was more bight and willing to eat. He has episodes of
weakness where he loses his footing which has been ongoing for a couple
of years. His BG has ALWAYS been normal. In recent months he has been
losing hair...but his adrenal panel was normal.

He vomitted the past 2 days once daily. BUT ate willingly.

He weighed 2 lb 12 oz for most of his life. He got down to 2 lbs 4 oz
and within recent months up to 3 lbs 4 oz. After this weekend he's
down to 2 lbs 13 oz.

He received a Melatonin implant in August and Lupron injection in
beginning of October.

Here are Tommie's Current Meds

Prednisolone - 0.5 ml daily
Metronidazole - 0.5 ml 2 x daily
Metoclopramide - 0.5 ml 3 x daily as needed
Carafate - 1 ml 2 x daily as needed
Pepcid mixed in water - .25 ml 3 X daily
As of 10/17/08 Biomox (Amoxi Drops) 0.5 ml 2 x daily for next 14 days
Emetrol - 0.4 ml 3 x daily (I don't know what amount I should give.
A ferret shelter owner said that Emetrol can be used. My vet doesn't
know what dosage to give or even if Emetrol could be used for ferrets.
This is my best estimated guess since the Metoclopramide hasn't been
working.)

He basically sleeps. He will walk the room once when I let them out,
occasionally hides his "baby dolls", then retreats to the cage. But
when he hears me at the cupboard, he is all bright eyed hoping to get
a NBone treat.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for
any assistance!

Just to let you know so you don't think I m blowing you off, I may not
be able to reply to messages due to my pain in my wrist, BUT I promise
I will read EACH message received AND reply as soon as I possibly am
able.

Regards From ~ Melanie

"A cat or dog steals your heart, but a ferret steals your soul."

------------------------------ 

Date:    Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:42:26 -0400
From:    Jeff <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Melatonin
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From what I have read, and based on information given to me directly
from one of the prominant ferret vets on the Ferret Health List, it
is okay to supplement oral melatonin for ferrets, and the recommended
dosage is up to 1.0 mg per ferret per day. We have been supplementing
it for the last year. I use Nature's Bounty 1.0 mg tablets, because
they dissolve quickly in water. I then use that water as the base for
their daily soup, so they get the melatonin right in their soup and are
none the wiser. I use four 1.0 mg tablets for five ferrets, so that
each gets approximately 0.8 mg each per day. Only in the long run will
we know whether or not this has helped to prevent adrenal disease, but
since it has been approved by a prominant ferret vet, I feel okay using
it daily. It seems like a very inexpensive way to (hopefully) prevent
long-term problems for our little ones.

Jeff
In Memory of Neo
Caring for Trinny, Morphy, Baby Girl, Luna, and Dozer

[Posted in FML 6130]