I mix pepto with heavy whipping cream, equal portions, hold the syringe
under hot running tap water then rub the syringe vigorously between
my palms before dosing. The ferrets take it much easier this way. Be
cautious as a friend has a ferret that is allergic to dairy products
and has difficulty breathing.

I've mixed carafate and pepto together. My thoughts are that the
carafate and pepto bind together and form a coating. In my cases
the results have been positive.

I've mixed carafate and amoxi, the concern is how much antibiotic is
absorbed at a time, some will be absorbed. The ferrets took it much
easier and it worked for us for our cases. A friend who was a nurse
told me about this years ago.

When I give medications or feedings every four hours, that means every
four hours including throughout the night. When treating ulcers or
gastritis it is very important to keep the tummy coated so the stomach
acid won't cause more abrasion. I think of it as a rugburn on a tender
tummy lining. If a ferret goes for 8-10 hours without tummy coating
that makes it more difficult to heal. Some may not be able to medicate
during work hours, which makes it very important to medicate/feed
during the times at home, throughout the night.

I do what is easiest on the ferret to get meds in most effectively with
the least amount of stress. Being sick is stress enough on these little
ones. While these might not be rule of thumb techniques, they have
worked well for my group for what I've been treating. I've treated old
and very sickly ferrets which have been through horrible situations and
need special care and the above techniques have worked in these cases.
Each case may be different and deserves special consideration.

As always, one should discuss variations from the medicine dosing norm
and their ferrets reactions with their veterinarians and make decisions
based on their own individual ferret case and ferret response. Just as
in human medicine, sometimes the treatment is worse than the illness
and in that case I try to make it as easy on the ferret as possible.

tle
www.ferretfamilyservies.org
www.iGive.com/FFS

[Posted in FML 5804]