>ECE can be ruled out because of their alertness and the fact that they
>have been in this house for three years and have never been around anyone
>with ferrets or any other ferrets during that time.
>Does anyone one have any ideas?  I am giving them pedialyte and pepto per
>the vets instructions.
 
Bryon,
 
Sounds like you are off to a good start in the treatment.  It could very
well be a helicobacter flare-up.  Most ferrets carry it in their gut
without any signs.  It's only after a stress (new food, new ferret,
illness, loss of a companion, etc.) that it begins to go out of control.
 
Like all diarrhea's in ferrets, it has to be treated aggressively.  At our
shelter we see quite a bit of this type of diarrhea.  We treat it with
Amoxidrops to kill the helicobacter, carafate suspension to help protect
the stomach from ulcer formation, Pepto Bismal to soothe the stomach.  But
as you found out, the Pepto will cause even more stress in some ferrets.
With those ferrets, we use Kaopectate (1/3 to 1 cc) to stop the diarrhea.
Since the carafate may bind with the other meds, we start with that, then
wait about 20 - 30 minutes to give the Amoxidrops, then give the
Pepto/Kaopectate about 10 minutes later, followed by food and liquids.
 
Oral syringe feeding and hydration are usually necessary to keep them going
until the helicobacter is under control.  We've found that continuing the
treatment for up to 30 days seems to prevent relapse.  Ferrets may need up
to 100 cc of food and 60 - 90 cc of liquid or more during active bouts of
diarrhea.
 
I'm glad to hear that you are not fixated on ECE.  For some it seems to be
a "badge of honor" for some reason.  I'd be willing to bet that ECE is
quite rare relative to all ferret diarrhea; helicobacter probably being
the most common cause and parasites being the next.  The biggest risk to
ferrets is in not treating all diarrhea aggressively.  If treatment is
started within 12 hours, most seem to clear up in 2 - 5 days.  If treatment
is delayed, it could take weeks; or worse lead to death.  If worst comes to
worst, and it is ECE, treatment is the same anyway, except that ECE may
take months to clear up.
 
Best of luck.
 
Dick B.  - not a vet
4 Li'l Paws Ferret Shelter
[Posted in FML issue 2545]