I'm going to give my vet a call after I send this post .... but since you
folks are always great a second opinions...I thought I'd better send
something to the FML.
 
At the very end of August I adopted a ferret - Rockford from a ferret
shelter.  He is 3 years old and was at the shelter for month.  He is a
hefty, sweet, chubby butterball (at least 3 pounds) with a HUGE appetite.
He has 2 blue dotted ear tattoos... so I think he is from Marshall Farms.
My other ferret, Epstein came with me to the shelter to pick out his new
"brother".  Epstein is 2 - tiny (2.2 pounds), lithe and a boundless of
energy.  My irresponsible brother bought Epstein as a 8 week old kit at a
flea market.
 
At the shelter Rocky ate a mix of Totally Ferret and Iams Kitten.  We do
not know what he ate before that.  Epstein has been eating Totally Ferret
exclusively since he came to live with me at 8 months.
 
During the trip home from the shelter, Rocky was crying so I took him out
of the carrier to cuddle him.  After a long while he started to squirm ...
and I thought he was simple tired of cuddling.  Nope.  He needed to make a
trip to "the box".  When I didn't let him down after 10 minutes of
squirming .... poor he just let go and pooped and peed in my lap.  Can't
blame the poor guy ... he tried to tell me.  Rocky's first poop was not the
usual "tootsie roll" brown that Epstein produces.  It was a yellowish
beige...and it was very smelly!!!  I assumed that this was simply because
he had been eating different food ... or that it was simply his own
personal variation.  After we got home, Rocky continued to produce
yellowish/beige poop.  It was not slimy and was well formed.
 
Three days later - Epstein was having episodes of diarrhea and slimy poop...
but was making it to the poop pan.  He was also sleeping much more than
usual.  For the first 12 hours or so I thought this was simply a sign of
stress and adjustment to a new ferret in the house.  Late that night I woke
him up and placed Epstein on my bed .... he proceeded to have a very liquid
episode of diahearea.  Epstein sleeps on my bed often ... and has always
been very fastidious about separating sleeping and pooping places.  I then
he was very sick... I called the vet.  He continued to eat and drink ...but
remained very sleepy.
 
The vet did a very thorough exam .... drew blood ... and took a fecal
sample.  (All tests came back negative ...except that his ambulin counts
were a bit high.)  He gave Epstein a shot of antibiotic (I forget which)
and put him on ammoxicillin and flagyl ... supplemented with Pepto and
Nutrical.  The medication routine lasted 2 full weeks.  The vet was unable
to give a specific diagnosis .. although he had some hunches ... and they
were not ECE.
 
Epstein responded well - was perky again in a few hours.  Within 24 hours
his poop was back to normal and was fully formed and dark brown in color.
As Epstein recovered I continued to pay attention to Rocky's poop .... it
was wider than Epstein's...but then he is a bigger ferret.  I also noticed
that it was "puffy".  Rocky's poop looked like a beige "cheese doodle".  It
looked like it had air in it ... that the volume was not very compact.  I've
read about the "birdseed like" poop that sometimes goes along with ECE ...
and I'm wondering if this could be it?  As the weeks went along, Rocky's
poop changed color ...and became a more tootsie roll like color.  Today
Rocky pooped on the bathroom floor.  This poop clearly consisted of many,
tiny, round globs.... about the size of the round candy sprinkles that are
found on ice cream.  The particles not an oval, seed like shape..they are
perfectly round.  The color was a new shade of beige.  Both ferrets are
acting "normal" ... everyone is eating and drinking and playing and pooping.
 
My vet is a very dear, compassionate vet.  He has extensive experience with
cats and dogs, moderate experience with small animals and growing experience
with ferrets.  He is very willing to learn ... and uses several of the
resources that Bob Church and others have mentioned..... but he is still
not a ferret expert..  I don't want to waste his time ... I don't want to
subject my babies to unnecessary, painful procedures and after last month's
vet visit... I don't have a great deal of $$$ to waste.
 
I have an article on ECE in front of me now written by Dr. Karen Purcell ...
and it states that "blood work usually shows an increased white blood cell
count and elevated liver enzymes".  This originally calmed me down since
Epstein's blood test were fine .... but now Rocky's "puffy" and possible
"birdseed like" poop has me worried.  Is "birdseed poop" a sign of anything
other than ECE?
 
Do you have suggestions for questions I should ask my vet?  Tests that
should be run?  Am I just being an overly anxious mother?  As always...
thank you for your help, support and advice.
 
Cynthia [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2447]