Hi, everyone!
 
This is a question for Dr. Williams:
I was just perusing through a file containing general information about
ferrets and found the following statement:  Ferrets do not have a cecum,
an appendix, a prostate gland, or seminal vesicles.  I remember not long
ago you wrote about prostatic squamous metaplasia associated with
adrenal disease... so clearly ferrets DO have prostate glands.  I was just
curious as to why someone would think that male ferrets don't have
prostates.  Have you heard this before?  And what about the other
structures listed?
 
 
Earlier today I came home from shopping and let my sweet little Walter
out of his cage as usual.  Immediately he started
vomitting --copiously-- and the vomit was tinged with blood.  I nearly
collapsed from absolute terror.  I called my vet immediately to see if
I should take Walter in.  The vet asked if I had changed Walter's diet
in any way recently and I said, yes, I had run out of ferret food just
that morning and had given him some wet cat food until I could get to
the pet store for more ferret food.  The vet said that wet cat food
usually makes ferrets vomit like that, and that it probably wasn't (isn't)
serious, and that I shouldn't bring him in unless it happens again.
Walter has been acting quite normal otherwise, though I've locked him in
his cage so that I can keep an eye on him (of course I DO take him out from
time to time to smother his little whiskery face with hundreds of kisses).  I'm
still pretty scared and hope that, indeed, it is not serious. Has anyone
else had this experience before when changing their ferret's diet?
 
---
Kimberly and Walter
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[Posted in FML issue 1064]