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]