>From: Alicia <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: green pee -- Pro plan >I am replying to your post-- green tinte3d urine is a sure indication of >urinary tract problems / infection. Please take your ferret to the vet. >Ferrets require food constantly... also it is While Alicia makes a good point about a good quality food, our boy "Cedar" (4yo MF Cinnamon colored sable) has had bouts of green tinted urine off and on for about 3 years. We feed him Iams Kitten Food and now Iams mixed with Eukanuba Kitten Food plus he gets his 1-2 raisins and a few Cheerios a day (I try to discourage my wife from giving too many treats - she likes to spoil them). He has never been painful on palpation, nor have we ever caught him straining to urinate. A year ago, I discussed his condition with one of my schoolmates who is now a vet that is trying to specialize in ferret medicine and we came up with a plan to try to increase his water consumption. The result: we have had fewer incidences of green urine since we switched to a water bowl in both the cage (from a water bottle) and the kitchen (nothing) - both of which are changed everyday. The bottom line is that, at least in our case, I think that the green urine was simply highly concentrated urine and not a urinary tract infection. This is not to say that this other case of green urine is not a sign of a UTI or another problem, I simply don't know enough about this case. My recommendation would be that as long as there isn't any straining, lethargy, in and out of the box action, pacing and can't get comfortable, and that your ferret is on a good food that has a good source of animal protein (eg. Kitten or Ferret food) to try multiple water bowls (fresh everyday) and see if there are any changes. On the other hand, you can never go wrong by consulting your regular vet and taking your ferret in for a physical examination - especially if you are worried. Again: make sure that your ferret is urinating, not straining, not in and out of the box multiple (say greater than 4 or 5 times in 10 minutes), not lethargic (more than a normal ferret) and if you have any indication that your ferret isn't urinating in a 24 hour period, take him immediately to the vet as you may have an emergency. **On an aside, we noticed Cedar's green tinted urine one day when my wife was wearing a white T-shirt, picked him up right after he had urinated and ended up with a big green spot on her shirt - that was good for a couple of chuckles. ****************************** Sean D. Sawyer V'00 University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine SCAVMA Treasurer [log in to unmask] ****************************** [Posted in FML issue 2598]