Hi there
 
I'm a bit worried about my ferret Angel, she's 3 years old and last night I
noticed that her tummy was swollen and hard.  I kept feeling her tummy and
the tummies of the other 4 girls and tried to feel if anything inside was
swollen.  Her tummy is about twice the size as usual and I don't think she
could have had it for long as I cuddle with her every day and usually think
that she is so thin.  That's why I was so shocked when I saw the size of her
tummy.  The skin around her neck is sort of loose and when I pull it, it
doesn't go back to it's usual shape immediately.  I haven't seen her eat
much lately, either.
 
I checked the medical FAQ's and the only diseases with a swollen tummy are
cardiomyopathy and splenomegaly but Angel is still active and war danced
around when I let her out of her room so she doesn't act sick.
 
What I noticed was that she didn't eat a "hard" treat when I offered her one
to see whether she eats.  But she ate a soft, meaty stick.  Now she's in a
cage on her own so I can see whether she eats and poops etc.  She didn't eat
her ferret complete food, nor the Iams but when I gave the same food
softened with water to her, she did eat it.  Well, she licked some of the
water and ate 2 kibbles.
 
I'll have to wait until Monday to take her to the vet so I was wondering if
anybody could tell me what could be wrong with her.  Has anybody had such a
problem before?  Any help is greatly appreciated, Angel is MY special little
girl and I'm so scared that something bad is wrong with her.
 
Ulrike and the 10 fur kids
 
--
http://homepages.primex.co.uk/~ferret/
[Posted in FML issue 2332]