>As some may remember, Zinc has been diagnosed with IBD.  We decided to
>follow our vet's advice, and give pediapred a try....Called the doc, and
>he decided that we should give Imuran a try along with the pred.  ...He
>told us to give her the mushed up kibble we had given her before to help
>her gain the weight back.  (He wanted us to give the drugs a try before
>changing to a bland diet as tooth problems may occur).  He did say that
>it will take a few weeks for Imuran to work.  So, we must be patient.
>But my patience is beginning to wane.
 
OK - Suzanne please forgive me, I know I've heard more of the history -
but is there any possibility that your ferret may have been exposed to ECE
within the last several months (shortly before the symptoms started)?  As
you know, I do not like the IBD diagnosis - I don't think that there is
such a disease in ferrets, only inflammatory diseases of the GI tract which
no one has taken the time or effort to diagnose.  IBD is an easy diagnosis
for a patholgist - you don;t need special stains, or to get a history, or
to contact the vet - just say IBD and ka-ching, you've made your money.
But you haven't helped the animal, the owner, or the vet at all...
 
I don't know about Imuran in ferrets - never used it - but I do know that
a bland diet is warranted immediately in cases of bowel inflammation.  In
most of these cases, the intestine is damaged to the point where it is
unable to properly digest kibble, or anything with high levels of complex
carbohydrates or fat.  IN these cases, I think that the Gerber's chicken
baby food, a readily absorbable food is the way to go rather than the
rather complex fat-laden duck soup that you described in your post.
(Complete baby-food testimonial available at http://www.afip.org/ferrets)
And get her off the kibble, mushed or not.  She can't digest it, and it
just adds to the diarrhea.
 
Can prolonged bowel inflammation lead to lymphoma - it CAN happen, but it's
very rare.  At this point, I'd like to give her bowel a rest with the bland
diet and see what happens.
 
With kindest regards (and not really wishing to butt in between you and
your vet)
 
Bruce Williams, dVM
[Posted in FML issue 3254]