Dear Collective,
 
My P.B. is feeling pretty wretched today.  He seemed fine this morning--
playful, affectionate, normal stool, eating, drinking, etc.  When I got
home from work, my wife was pretty upset and said that P.B.  had been
having diarrhea.  The first batch that she showed me was simply very loose,
brown, and a little slimy.  The following bouts were clear-ish with a red
tinge to it.  He had become lethargic with no interest in food.  He has
lost a little weight--down from 2.9 lbs to 2.8lbs.
 
We took him to the emergency vet who said:
 
--Mucous Membranes are normal, no discolouration
--His abdomen had no palatable mass
--He is still lively  (although compared to his normal activity he is
  pretty lethargic)
--No signs of dehydration (he's still drinking well)
--Fecal test has large numbers of RBC's and WBC and cocci bacteria
 
She said that we had two options at that time  1)  Blood work  2)
supportive meds
 
I asked what she would do if it were her ferret and she said she would go
with the meds for 24-48 hours and see if there were any improvement and to
monitor him like crazy for dehydration and watch for severe lethargy.  We
were to offer him food and water on a regular basis.
 
She sent us home with amoxi drops (25 mg twice per day) and 1/8 tablet of
metronidazole (once per day)
 
The tentative diagnosis is: IBD, proliferative Bowel Dz, gasteric upset
other
 
Does all this seem right?  Any red flags that I should be aware of?  As you
can imagine, my wife and I are rather worried.  We just moved to Denver,
Colorado and don't have a regular vet that we trust yet.  Should we be
bringing him to another vet seeking further diagnosis, or does this
diagnosis seem right.
 
Thanks,
Matthew in CO (worrying about P.B.)
 
"We have to work in the theatre of our own time,
with the tools of our own time" --Robert Edmond Jones
[Posted in FML issue 2779]