OK I know you said don't say "get him to a vet", but I have to say it.  Let
me tell you a little story:
 
This spring a ferret I adopted to a dear friend started losing weight.  His
stools were soft, sometimes liquidy, but not ece-like.  It was more than
just spring weight loss, and I wondered about a partial blockage.  She took
him to a vet, who did a brief exam, but just recommended some laxative and
to keep an eye on him.  After a bit, the ferret gained some weight back,
and seemed healthy and active, although he still had soft stools.
 
A few weeks ago, he went from being fine to being dead in the space of
two days.  An autopsy showed 2 tumors in his abdomen, one of which had
ruptured.  It was encroaching on his intestines, and was undoubtably the
cause of the soft stool.  An xray in the spring might have shown these
tumors and might have saved his life.
 
I hope Ricky gets well quickly.
 
Linda Iroff
Oberlin OH
[Posted in FML issue 2867]