I'm looking for information and am hoping that you all can help me.  I'm
working at a local "no kill" shelter, the only one in our area.  While
most of our little ones are dogs and cats, we do get a call from a rescue
organization in Chicago and the shelter director travels over 3 hours (one
way) to pick up any ferrets that are in need of a home.  I'm a new ferret
mommie and have limited knowledge of ferret conditions and illnesses.  The
shelter director has 12 ferrets of his own, (bless his little heart) but is
at a stand still in understanding what's going on with one of our little
fuzzys in the shelter.  First I will tell you that we currently have only
two ferrets.  One, a little sable male is not doing well and we are in
desperate search of information to help him.  When he came to the shelter
his hair was sparse and he was in desperate need of "plumping" up.  Right
now, he is as skinny as skinny can be.  The little guy is not eating much,
(we have been force feeding him nutritional supplements) and his hair is
thinning out terribly.  He has had diarrhea for the past week or so and
they were very dark.  Today they were green.  I spend time with him
whenever I work.  Sunday I hand fed him some raisins (he gobbled up 4 or
5).  Today was the first day I worked since Sunday and he only took two
raisins.  (I smash them up in my fingers and let him eat the insides of
them).  He seems alert, his eyes are clear, no discharge from the eyes or
nose and no sneezing.  The little one seems to know whats going on, not
lethargic at all... in desperate need of weight gain and help with the
diarrhea.  He's very weak, (understandably so).... We have been feeding him
anything that he'll eat which doesn't amount to much.  The ferrets always
have a fresh bowl of Marshall's in their cages, I brought in some Iam's
kitten kibble and Ultimate 8 in 1 to put in his cage.  We've tried baby
food, to no avail.  We have a veterinarian who is on staff at the shelter,
but his knowledge of ferrets is very limited.  If anyone can give me
information on what we can do to help this little guy, it would be GREATLY
appreciated.
 
Thanks...
~~faith
[Posted in FML issue 3139]