Hi everyone.  My name is Cindy and my ferrets names are Footise and Oki
(pron O-key).  I have posted in the FML before and am hoping that someone
out there can help us with our ferret Oki.
 
Oki came to us via the Ferret Aid Society of Toronto (FAST).  Randy, who
runs FAST received a call from an owner who wanted to surrender her ferret.
Due to the problem of FAST being contanimnated with ECE, Randy contacted us
because we were on the waiting list to foster and I offered to pick Oki up
directly, rather than him going through the shelter and being exposed to
ECE.  The owner had led Randy to believe that Oki had received all of his
shots and was in good health.  Due to myself and my boyfriend Doug being new
ferret owners and inexperienced (we had only had Footsie for about 1 month)
we thought when we saw Oki that he was just a very old ferret.  I will try
to condence this as much as I can, but what follows is the story of Oki and
a plea to anyone out there that may have some ideas for us or some
suggestions that we can use or that we can give to our vet.  I must say that
Randy and the members of FAST have been very kind and supportive to us and
we appreciate their efforts.  Oki was offically adopted by us last Sunday.
 
We picked up Oki a week ago this past Monday (so he has been with us for 10
days now)  It soon became apparent that there was much more wrong with this
little guy than old age.  By Tues I had booked an appt with my vet and had
consulted with Randy.  The vet examined Oki and did not hold much hope and
Randy had authorized us to put Oki down if necessary.  Between the 4 of us
we decided to start treating some of his problems and reevaluate him again
on Fri.  When we took him into our vet on Fri he was pleased with the
results so far and we are scheduled for another reevaluation this coming
Monday.  As near as we can tell Oki is 4 and 1/2 yrs old.  This is what is
wrong with him:
 
1. Oki was suffering with severe malnutrition.  His eyes were swollen
almost shut (he looked like he was always squinting), his ribs and spine
were showing, he has suffered tremendous hair loss and he refused to eat.
 
2. Oki has Adrenial (we think) and has lost almost all of the hair on his
tail and the rest of the hair on his body is patchy and thin and bald in
spots.  He has black heads on his tail too.  His penis appears to be
swollen.  He strains somewhat to pee.
 
3. Oki has a broken canine tooth  and infected gums and the vet thinks he
might have cavities too.  This makes it difficult for him to eat.
 
4. Oki's skin is peeling like it is sunburned and it is yellowish/brown.
 
5.  Oki has ulcers.  When we got him his stool was black and slimy and tar
like.
 
This is what we have done so far.  Please realize we have to take slow baby
steps with this guy so as not to overwhelm him, but when we see the vet on
Mon we would like to discuss the future of this ferret and his treatments.
Our first priority has been to get his weight back up.  He originally
weighed in at 2.6 pounds and we think he should be at least 3.5 - 4.0
pounds.
 
1. Oki has been on AD mixed with Timmy's Tonic and mashed to a paste and
heated up.  We feed this every 2 hrs.  Starting tommorrow Oki will be on
Timmy's receipe once my supplies from the US are delivered.  We will be
substituting the gerbers in the receipe for AD and Gary (who has been a
godsend) thinks this is a good idea since Oki likes the AD.  We are also
placing Oki on an extra amount of collidial silver.  At first we had to
force feed Oki with a syringe, but he started eating it himself on Fri.
Although he had not gained any weight as of last Fri when the vet weighed
him, he had not lost any either.  Oki has been sub Q'ed 4 times ... twice by
the vet and twice by Randy of FAST who was kind enough to bring the supplies
and do it herself.  His eyes have begun to open and he started to get
curious about his surroundings as of yesterday and roam the house (he gets
tired fast BUT he is doing it which is something) He has begun to act ferret
like which he was not before but does not seem to know how to play probably
due to the fact that he was kept in a cage in a basement his entire life and
rarely, if ever, let out.
 
2.  We are planning to attack the Adrenial with meds once his strength is
back up.  He is too old for surgery.  Right now he does not seem to be
experiencing any discomfort and is urinating regularly.
 
3.  Oki is on the antibiotic Bactrim Roche 0.5 cc every 8 hrs for the
infection in his mouth.  The root of the broken canine is exposed, so once
he is stronger he will require the tooth being removed and his gums and
teeth being cleaned.
 
4. Robyn of 100% Natural Pet Products has been kind enough to mix up a
special skin cream for Oki to try and combat the peeling.  Our main concern
is not the skin that is dead already but the new skin that is appearing.  We
just started him on this yesterday and it does not seem to be having any
adverse affects although it may be too soon to tell if it is working.  We
are also putting this on the pads of his feet because they are very cracked
and yellow as well.
 
5. Oki is on Sulcrate Plus 0.5 cc every 8 hrs for his ulcers.  It seems to
be working as his stools have returned to the brown color they should be.
 
When the vet examined him last Tues Oki cried and wimpered if his tummy was
touched at all...on Fri he did not care in the least.  I want to assure
everyone that this little guy is not in any pain not even in his mouth (vet
checked)  He has so much courage and dignity.  Oki is sweet and has never
tried to bite us even with the yucky meds.  This is an obvious case of
severe neglect and our only goal is to make whatever time he has remaining
as loving and carefree and happy as possible for him.  We are hoping that
some of you out there might have some ideas and insights that can help us
and our vet give Oki the best treatment possible.  We have found the ferret
community to be full of remarkable people who are so kind and supportive.
It has been amazing.  My horror at the injustices perpertrated against this
little guy is beyond anything I can put into words.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Cindy and Doug Smith
Footsie and Oki Smith
[Posted in FML issue 2286]