Hi Sue,
 
Hope could very well have IBD, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  The reason
she may not be using the box any more, is because of the diarrhea and her
weakened condition, she has to go immediately, regardless of where she
is.  She simply cannot make it to the box.  I think that you should
consider placing her in another cage, but next to the others so she is
not too lonely.  Put paper towels or incontinence underpads (cheaper than
puppy training pads) in the bottom of her cage or cut down one side of a
Van Ness small cat litter box and see if she can make it into that.  In a
smaller cage she will have less distance to travel and she might be able
to make it in time.  My IBD ferret still used the litter box, but the
odor and frequency of it, made the litter boxes unpleasant and unsanitary
for his cagemates, so I gave him free roam of the ferret room and placed
about 6 litter boxes in strategic places.  After all, you can only fit so
many in a cage.
 
It will also be easier for you to change her diet without affecting
the others, if she is isolated.  She needs to come off of the kibble.
Her body simply cannot absorb it and she may even be allergic to an
ingredient in it.  She needs to be fed duck soup.  Here is the recipe I
use for my IBD ferrets: For one ferret, use 1 jar of turkey baby food,
1/2 to a whole can of Science Diet Feline A/D or I/D, 1 capsule of
Slippery Elm Bark (to sooth her intestinal tract), 1.5 scoops of Nupro
Ferret Supplement (from www.theferretstore.com ), 2 mls of Pet Tinic
http://www.countrysidevetsupply.com/pettinic.html , the cheapest source),
and the magic ingredient to firm up the poops, is 1/4 to 1/3 of canned
pumpkin pie filling.  Add water until it is of proper consistency (not
too runny and not to thick).  This should last you about two days.  Throw
it out after that.  The canned pumpkin can be kept for about 6 days in
the refrigerator.  You'll have to finger feed or even syringe feed until
she's willing to take it on her own.  A/D will work best in a syringe.
I/D is a bit chunkier, and an IBD diet.  A/D might actually be the better
choice at first to put the weight back on her, anyway.
 
Depending on the antibiotics given, she may need different ones and two
weeks may not be enough.  She may also need to be started on Imuran, an
immunosuppressant.  Ideally, she should really have biopies taken from
her stomach, intestines, lymph nodes, etc.  to confirm inflammatory bowel
disease first.  They could check her for any hairballs in her stomach or
any possible obstructions, which can also result in diarrhea.  They could
also check her adrenal glands and pancreas while they are in there.  I
would also recommend that you test her for the Aleutians virus, or ADV.
 
I will send you a separate e-mail with attachments of IBD articles, and
research that I have done for my own ferrets.  I run MacAfee Anti-Virus
daily and have found no viruses in my computer.  I promise it is safe to
open them.  You can print them out and take them to your vet, if you
would like.
 
If you have any questions or need any help, please feel free to e-mail me.
 
Happy New Year!
 
Dodie in NJ
[Posted in FML issue 4015]