Hi All,I know it's been quite awhile since I've updated you all on our gang
with ECE.  For those who don't know,or remember the details,here theyare;
Our first one came down with the 1st.  symptoms last month,after we took in
4 young kits from a neighbor that were half starved.  We quickly built them
back up with duck soup,and a diet of crushed and moistened tottally ferret
food.
 
They were doing Great,but then our first older baby;Spice became lethargic,
and wasn't eating!  Then we noticed the Dreaded green slimy stools!
 
Now he's begun putting some of the weight back on that he lost,but he's
still not upto his Normal self.  He's coming out Every day,plays a little,
and is eating Not his regular food,but pro plan kitten food.  We started
mixing it into his regular food,to get Spice and his heram back to eating
their dry Kibbles,as none of them Really Want their duck soup anymore.
We're Still getting off colored and loose stools at night,but it's fine in
the morning!
 
This is Driving Us Crasy !  I'm giving them kaopectate and slippery elm
bark(sp?) once a day now,and we've cut back the duck soup to once dailt
3times weekly for 4 of our 6 older ferrets.  Does this sound about right
to thos of you who have Survived the dreaded ECE infection?  The other 2
guys,a 10 month old kit,and a 2 yr.  old female Never really came down with
any of the ECE symptoms.  We treated them as if they did have it,and are
themselves carriers because they All spend time together and we were
Advised that if 1 gets it,they All have it!
 
Now our other 4 are all between 1yr. and 2 yrs. old;our Adpotee Lady Gretta
being the Elder of them.  She is 2.5,and the others;Princess Neesa, Chips
,andSpice are allbetween 1.5,and 1.3 yrs.  old.  They've all lost a Lot of
body mass,but only Spice has begun to ragain it!  We Don't have a svcale to
weigh them on ,but by appearance and mass weight,we're guessing Neesa is
back down to about 11/2 pnds.!  Chips is about 21/2,maybe a little less
from 3 pnds,and Gretta is about 2pnds,maybe a little less, Spice is back up
to about 2pnds,Dr. Purcell examined him 2 wks ago,and said he was a little
under weight,but definately on the Recovery from ECE!  But it's Lady Gretta
and Princess Neesa we're Still Very worried about because they were small
to begin with and now they Really Won't take their duck Soup anymore,even
force feeding!  Then we're worried about the loose stools we're Still
getting at night.
 
Has anyone else Ever encountered this phenominan following an out break of
ece before?  If so,what did you do?
 
Other than that their Still Not Really gaining weight back,and the loose
stools,all are back to begging for their treats and playing with each other
and Us!  Their eyes are bright and clear,and so far no symptoms of any
other problems.  We Know the loose stools are coming from Chips and
probably Neesa.  You see,we'seen Chip's loose stools Outside of the cage
when he missed the litter box,and the sam with Smokey when he Refused to
Use the litter box!  Neesa is the Only one we've Never managed to catch her
messing since the ece episode,but we did seperate the Wrecking Crew,putting
3 and 3,and Neesa's mess is the onlyone we haven't been able to catch
messing either in the cage,or out because she is rather a Private littile
thing and doesn't like to mess we're Others can see her,she likes to wait
until it's nice and dark and quiet to go off in a dark corner and do it in
Privacy!  She's Always been like this!  It was a Real pain trying to litter
box train because of this.
 
If anyone has any suggestions on this problem Please e-mail me directly at
 
[log in to unmask]
Thanks again,Karen,Mom Terry,and the Wrecking
Crew,Neesa,Chips,Gretta,Spice,Cinnamon,Smokey,Lightening,Rama,Shadow,and
Kimba.
[Posted in FML issue 2565]