Hi ya'll.  Boy what fun we're having today.  My sweet baby Kiki is
pooping blood (?), so I called the vet.  He says, "if he's eating fine
and acting normal, give him 1/2 tsp of Peptobismol".
 
Ok, no problem right?  HA!  Take one badly sunburned mom, whose sunburn
was caused by a sensitivity to the sun from medicine she is taking
because she is allergic to said ferret.  Add one VERY reluctant ferret,
firmly scruffed.  Add one teenaged daughter "helper" to the mix.  On the
advice of the cashier at Walmart I place the syringe into the ferrets
mouth, behind the teeth, in the pocket on the side of the face.  Squeeze
out a few drops and pick up the ferret, who has squirmed out of the
"firm scruffing" and is running like heck to get away from the nasty pink
stuff.  Pick up the ferret and repeat the scruff, squeeze, chase him
around the room until the entire 1/2 tsp is inside the ferret, on the
mom, and the helper. (who is not helping, but instead, is laughing
hysterically at mom and the ferret).  Give the ferret with the pink
foaming mouth access to the water bottle.  Pick him up and cuddle and say
how sorry we are for giving him that nasty stuff.  Put ferret back down,
go to bathroom, change clothes, wash and bandage badly scratched, on top
of badly sunburned, arms.  Try not to think that I not only have to do
this again tomorrow, three times.  I also have to take him to our friends
house at 6 a.m., so I can give him his afternoon dose.  I can't make it
home on my lunch break!
 
So, how do you all give ferrets pepto?  We tried putting him in a towel,
but he escaped.  I tried letting him have some on his own first, but he
didn't like it at all.  (no surprise).  Susan, my wonderful friend and
advisor of ferrety kind of stuff, has taken care of many sick fuzzies.
I just know she'll have some great trick to get it down him tomorrow,
but in the mean time, I still have to get it into him tomorrow morning,
(before my shower, because I know I'm gonna need on afterwards).  Also,
any vets or others who would have any idea what would cause him to poop
what looks like seedy baby poop mixed with red kool-aid?  He is loosing
fur on his tail and I have assumed he was adrenal.  If he's not doing
better, the vet said to bring him in on Friday.
 
(BTW, both my "helper" and I were laughing so hard at the end of all this
it was nearly impossible to hold on to the little angel).
 
Shelley
[Posted in FML issue 4472]