I just had a ferret turned in to me that has what look like little canker
sores in his mouth.  He is in obvious pain and doesn't want to eat.  He
dunks his mouth into a water bowl almost like he's having the water cool
the sores off.  I've never encountered anything like this before.
 
Can someone please suggest a way for me to help him between now and
Monday morning when my vet gets back to town?  Any medications?  Any
tricks with feeding...meaning warm soup vs.  cooling liquids?
 
My uneducated guess is that this is periodontal disease.  Only a few of
his teeth seem bad, though.  I think he is around 4-5 years old.  He
also is a bit underweight.  I know that gum disease and tooth decay can
cause infections that get in the blood and spread throughout the body.
What signs would be exhibited in that case?  He has diarrhea but I
usually see that when any ferret is turned in just because of their
stress and anxiety.  I don't know what else I should be looking for.
 
Any and all answers welcome to me directly so that I can see them before
Monday morning.
 
Thank you!
Debi
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[Posted in FML issue 4598]