I have a question for any vets who might be reading this list:
 
We had a male ferret, about 3 yrs old, who had urinary tract infections on
and off for the past few months, come into the shelter.  He was definitely
an adrenal candidate and had his left adrenal removed shortly after arrival.
Nothing unusual about his surgery or recovery, except that the vet found a
"diverticulum" on his bladder, which he felt was causing the bladder
infections.  He spoke with a more experienced ferret vet and they feel the
diverticulum cannot be removed from the bladder, as he was born with it.
So, surgery is not an option here.  But he leaks constantly when he's not on
antibiotics.
 
My question is this--since antibiotics seems to be the only cure for him,
how long can we keep him on them?  He goes on for 8 days or so, then off for
a week, then back on.  He starts leaking again right away when we take him
off.  Is this going to be the infection that eventually takes his life?  Is
this safe for him to be on antibiotics for so long?
 
Sorry for all the questions, I just need some feedback so I know we're doing
the right thing here.  He seems happy, but is uncomfortable when not on
antibiotics and I've heard that it's not good for them to be on antibiotics
for any length of time....
 
Thanks for any input!
 
Stephanie
[Posted in FML issue 2141]