Date: Sat, 03 Mar 2001 00:40:36 -0000 Subject: Re: New and Prolapsed Question Dear Mary: Prolapsed rectums are a problem to keep up with, no doubt. Prolapsed rectums are the result of straining. Although you wouldn't think it to be logical, but loose stools are more a cause of prolapsed rectums than hard ones. Only rarely are they the result of endogenous rectal disease or anal sacs. Look at it this way - to get the poop out, the rectum contracts to find something to push against. If it finds normal consistency stool - whoosh, out it goes. But if the stool is loose or watery, it just keeps pushing and pushing, and eventually, the attachments get edematous and loose and stretchy, and it pushes itself out. Anal sacs serve little useful purpose in animals (thank god humans don't have them.) What they seem to do is lubricate the anus for the passage of stool (other than in skunks where they do have a more useful purpose.) They normally are naturally expressed when a firm stool passes over them. But if you don't have that firm stool - the secretions build up. Most impacted glands are in animals with a history of abnormal defection, and usually diarrhea. I would surmise that the full anal glands are the result of the loose stools, not the cause. I am not a big fan of expressing anal sacs in ferrets - they are small and may rupture compounding the problems. If a ferret has chronic anal gland problems, then you remove them - you don't keep crushing them between thumb and forefinger - eventually they will break down and the secretion will be forced out into the surrounding tissue. For impacted glands, I recommend either finding and curing the predisposing cause, or removing them. ADV as a cause of prolapsed rectum? In a word, no. If your vet can't get a hold on the loose stools and thinks a biopsy is in order - let's do it all at once - get the rectum, colon, intestine, whatever in one surgery. It may show the cause of diarrhea, which would be nice. While we don't want to use a steroid cream prior to a biopsy, a gentle emollient like a Tuck's pad or some preparation H, or aloe vera may help when it is protruding and raw. With kindest regards, Bruce H. Williams, DVM Join the Ferret Health List at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list [Posted in FML issue 3349]