Hello everybody!!!
 
WET-BOTTOMED KIT
 
>From: "Scarlett A. Gray" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Help-Wet Bottomed Kit
>I have a 15 week old kit that seems to have a urinary track/bladder
>infection.  She has had this infection since she was about 8 weeks old.
 
Well, as the owner of a wonderfully incontinent sprite, named Angel, I can
certainly empathize with your problem.  Angel's problem turned out to be
ectopic ureters that completely bypass her bladder and cannot be cured.
However, that's not to say that your little gal has the same problem.  When
my vet and I initially tried to solve her suspected UTI and the antibiotic
therapy did not work, we ran a urine culture to determine exactly what
bacteria might be causing the problem and what antibiotic would be best.  I
am not a vet, but IMHO, that would be a good starting point.  If that fails
to show anything, or the appropriate antibiotic does not work, then you
might want to consider exploratory surgery(especially since she needs to be
spayed, anyway), or a Urogram Contrast Study.  I suppose hormones could
contribute, but I've been under the impression that incontinence would be
from a lack of hormones, as we did also try to treat Angel with small
amounts of DES.  After several months of trial and error, exploratory
surgery, urine cultures, urograms, and removal of one kidney(the consulting
vets at AMC in NY felt that only one ureter was ectopic and this would
easily solve the problem), and a second urogram that showed that the
remaining ureter was also ectopic(after the surgery failed to produce any
change), I have come to the conclusion that some urinary tract problems in
ferrets are not easily diagnosed and/or treated.  I hope that what you are
dealing with is only a more resistant microorganism and that a new course of
antibiotic therapy will do the trick.  As far as the diaper rash
goes....wash her bottom once or twice a day with baby shampoo, dry her off
really well, and apply a Neosporin type of ointment to the area.  This
really helped Angel.  I also change her bedding twice a day to cut down on
the smell and dampness, and wipe her bottom off A LOT(I remembered to put
the space in that word!<GGG>) when she's out of the cage.  If you'd like to
read more about my little Angel and her problem, use the FML search engine
at Ferret World and type in "Angel" or "Dodie".  The dates are between June
of 1996 and September of 1996.  I hope this info helps.  I found Dr. Dutton
and Dr. Williams to be invaluable resources in my time of need.  You may
want to e-mail them directly, since they are VERY busy people.  Good luck!
 
Dodie Newcomb and the Fabulously Funny Five
 
Gidget, Molly, Teddy, Fozzie, and Angel(aka Betsy Wetsy)
[Posted in FML issue 1745]