I only have a couple minutes but wanted to give you all a quick update on
the little sick ferret that we had/have at our shelter.  First I would like
to thank all of you soooo very much for writing with your suggestions at
to what could be wrong and treatments for him.  Our shelter vet has very
limited knowledge of fuzzys and each one of the emails were printed out
and taken to the shelter for referance now, and to be kept for future
refrences.
 
A special thank you to Kristine.  (hugs you so tight).  You are truly a
God-send!  She contributed some other symptoms and after comparing them we
determined he most likely has coccidia.  The shelter immediately put him on
albon and started him on a force feed diet of ensure plus, and pedialyte.
Because he needs to be fed ever 2-3 hours, I decided to take him home with
me last night, carefully keeping him as far from my own little guys as I
could.
 
I'm so happy to say that after only one treatment his green diarrhea is no
more.  We will continue with the albon for 10 days, as suggested.  I mixed
up some hills a/d, ensure, pedialyte, chicken gravy baby food, crushed Iams
and a bit of ferret tone and froze it in ice cube trays.  I hand fed him
yesterday every chance I could, (as much as he would take).  This little
guy is about 2 years old and weighs only about 1 1/2 lbs.  I fed him early
this morning, and when I woke up to feed him again, He was up, alert and
looking around his cage.  I fed him more of the mixture and this time he
ate, (hungrily).  I was so happy I wanted to dance!  I know he's not
completely out of the woods, I work at the shelter today and will take him
back into work with me so that he can continue to be fed every 2-3 hours.
Tonight, he'll come home with me.  There are a couple other things that
we will do to try to get his weight up, but to see the little guy eating
excitedly for the first time in the last two weeks made me cry.
 
Thanks so much for all of your advice and help...  You are all angels!
 
~blessings
~~faith (and the little shelter fuzzy)
[Posted in FML issue 3142]