>My 5 1/2 year old neutered male became very depressed with the loss of our >8 1/2 year old female. A week ago Thurs night (6/24) he became lethargic, >vomited once, and has had seedy (sometimes green) diarrhea. My vet (the >only ferret knowledgeable vet in the area) thinks that he has helicobactor. >She also wants to do adrenal surgery because he has a bald tail. She >thinks the anorexia and diarrhea could be in part to adrenal tumors. His >bald tail is the only symptom he has ever shown of adrenal tumors. My gut >feeling is not to do surgery, so at this point I am not going to proceed >with that route. Currently he is on Amoxi-drops 1/2 ml BID, metronidazole >0.2 ml BID (when I can get it down him), chlorphenicol 0.48 ml BID, >carafate 1/8 tablet 3-4 times daily before feeding. I force feed him a >mixture of A/D, chicken baby food, pedialyte and Ferretvite every 4 hours. >He is drinking on his own when I offer it. We ran a complete blood >profile (CBC, Chem 20) and a Urinalysis last week. Besides being slightly >dehydrated at the time, the results were within normal limits. I am at a >loss of what to do next. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know, >I am not ready to loose him. And in addition, >I just posted about the ill ferret. I forgot to mention, he frequently >grinds his teeth (why we are using carafate). His stomach also is almost >always gurgling (sp?). He sounds miserable. It can get very loud at >times. Thanks in advance if anyone can help. It certainly sounds suspicious for Helicobacter/ulcerative gastritis. Did you do a fasting blood sugar to rule out insulinoma? It can cause similar signs, though stress-induced ulcers are pretty common under these circumstances. The carafate coats the stomach so eating is less painful. The amoxi and metronidazole kill the Helicobacter bacteria. You might try a strictly baby food chicken diet, as being bland and less irritating. Hope this helps, -Dr. Karen DISCLAIMER: This e-mail is provided for general informational purposes only. It is in no way intended as a replacement for a consultation with a qualified licensed veterinarian. If you are concerned about your pet's health, you should seek the advice of your regular veterinarian as soon as possible. [Posted in FML issue 3470]