To Danny Williams:
The treatment for gastric Helicobacter infections is a two-to four
week trial of Amoxicillin at 10-20 mg/lb and 1/15 of a PeptoBismol tablet
ground in food. Most ferrets also require a bland diet, especially if
signs of gastric ulcers (tarry stools, grinding teeth) are present.
There are a lot of formulations for bland diets available in the FAQ
under the heading "Duck Soup" - at my house we use Gerbers Second Baby
food - chicken variety.
The treatment is harmless even for those ferrets without Helicobacter,
and certainly is worth a try.
Bruce Williams, DVM Department of Veterinary Pathology
[log in to unmask] Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
OR [log in to unmask] Washington, D.C. 20306-6000
(202) 782-2600/2602
[Posted in FML issue 1174]