To Amy and Dave:
 
>Now, on to more sober matters. Speaking of the 7+ year old ferret,
>Elektra, I would like anyone with any experience or detailed knowledge to
>*please* give me information on stomach ulcers. Elektra and her fuzzy family
>went on "vacation" a few weeks ago (while we did the same) and she had
>been eating fine. When we got back, we were surprised to see she had
>gotten up to a pound (she usually weighs about 14 oz.). From then on it
>was all downhill.
 
>She stopped eating and drinking anything. Not even duck soup. Now she's
>been a finicky eater the past couple of years - doesn't eat for a while,
>then suddenly does - but she would *always* eat duck soup. I got to the
>point where I was force feeding her several times a day just to keep her
>alive. When we went to the vet on Tuesday, he put an IV in her to get
>fluids going but bascially gave us the impression that we should have her
>put to sleep.
 
>I think she's had ulcers for a while (grinding of teeth) but they never
>seemed to bother her that much. Now suddenly, she wasn't even moving
>around. We put her on amoxicillin, and she is showing a tiny bit of an
>appetite now, but she's still not eating enough. Also, her teeth are
>really covered with tartar (it's hard to get into that tiny mouth to
>scale teeth - she fights too much and there's no room). So my question
>is...could it be the ulcers or the teeth? We don't know what to do.
 
        Amy - here's what you have to do -
 
        1)  Amoxicillin 20mg/lb twice daily.
        2)  Pepto-Bismol 1cc three times daily or 1/6 of a Sucralfate tablet
(the easier option) three times daily.
        3) Chicken baby food (Gerber's second meals) - initially you may have to
force feed, but she should soon develop a liking for it...
        4)  Relieve stress - easier said than done - but at least lots of love
and attention.
 
        5)  As soon as she starts feeling better - get the teeth cleaned by your
vet.  Trying to pry her mouth open to do it yourself only stresses her out
further and stress is a major factor in the development of ulcers.  The other
factor is Helicobacter mustelae infection, a common inhabitant of ferret
stomachs.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 782-2600/2602                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
 
 
Any information anyone could give us would be great.
[Posted in FML issue 0980]