My very sick ferret, Chaos.

[lv4dogs]

I haven't mentioned him on here, mostly just from PM's, on my LJ & some ferret only communities.

(semi-copied from LJ because I am very sad right now)
Chaos is awesome, he is my first ferret, the ferret that got me into ferrets, my favorite ferret, my buddy. He is a 4 year old Marshall Farm ferret.

To make a long story short, for about 2 months now he's been nothing but skin & bones. I've seen a few different vets (many times each) and even a holistic vet. I've had everything done that I, the vets & my ferret friends can think of, fecal samples, x-rays, barium x-rays, blood tests, exams. He's been dewormed just in case, been on a couple forms of antibiotics, pain meds, tummy meds, supplements, force feedings, sub q's. NOTHING is working.
The only guesses the vets & I have is that it may be
A. a food absorption problem, but diet & supplements are not working so that's starting to be pushed off the list
B. a blockage that is not being detected by barium x-rays, reg. x-rays & palpation
C. Cancer
The only real option I have left is to hope that he gains some weight so that we can do an exploratory surgery. But after 2 months of him eating like a pig he's not gaining anything, so this route looks slim, or at the very least lengthy.
If it ended up being the later of the bunch I'm afraid that even if he did make it through the surgery I'd probably help him to the bridge right then & there.

I don't think he's in a whole lot of pain. He doesn't flinch or anything like that when you hold or palpate him but he is not his normal self, he has to be somewhat uncomfortable, you can tell that just by looking at how skinny he is & how he acts. Sure for a day or two here & there he perks up a little bit, and last weekend he did have a few really good days in a row, otherwise he's very lethargic, no sparkle in his eyes, weak, not wanting to eat & literally skin & bones. I'm scared to even hold him sometimes, I'm afraid I'll break him he's that skinny.

I feel awful, so awful I don't even want to post this but I will.

How much is too much? I know no one can really answer this but me but I have to ask. I just don't know what to do.

Money was not an object, but it is kind of starting to become one. I've spent thousands of dollars on my boy and have not found anything that helps even a little bit. My funds are running out.

I thought he was giving me a sign a couple times to help him to a better place but then he'd perk right up. The last few days I haven't really seen a sign from him but he does not have that sparkle in him.
If he was in obvious pain I'd end that but he appears to not be in pain, he's just not himself.

I thought I had it hard before with some of my rats but this has to be the hardest decision yet, by far.

[Scooby4]

Are you sure he is too thin? They don't get very heavy and can "feel" kind of bony. What kind of food are you feeding? That could make a difference. My ferret eats Cat food and NOT ferret food. She really likes the Chef's blend. My cat doesn't so they don't share.
Try adding some wet cat food to the food. Wet/Canned cat food has extra calories to it. It may be okay to give the ferret raisins or other dry fruits. I get a great "Ferret treat" in a can at the pet store that has lot's of fruits in it.
Does your ferret roam free? Maybe it is eating something in it's environment that isn't too healthy for it. I know mine will eat a few things like candle wax. She loves to eat candles which isn't good for her!
I am also concerned about the medications. This could also be a potential cause for not eating properly. The medicine could have side effects or the stress of taking the medication could be an issue.
Did you know that Ferrets are the only animal that can catch colds from humans? They do have an over the counter cold medicine if needed. I would also avoid handling the ferret too much if you have a cold. I have one now and it is killing me to NOT play with Measley. She actually gave me a cold last year!
Just try to relax and watch for environment and diet. My father raised ferrets and we usually had 25 at a time. They can fit into holes the size of quarters so be aware.

[Queen of Poop]

Has he had adrenal surgery??? My Sebastian did the exact same thing after his adrenal surgery, we recently put him on steriods and he is now doing fine. His blood work showed nothing wrong but he went from 1400 grams to 940 grams in a very short time. My vet decided to just try the steriods and it has been a miracle. Prayers for you and your baby.

[new mom to a veiled]

I'm sorry, I don't have any advice for you. I just wanted to say I'm sorry your having such a horrible time. Thoughts and prayers for you and Chaos

[lv4dogs]

Are you sure he is too thin? They don't get very heavy and can "feel" kind of bony. What kind of food are you feeding? That could make a difference. My ferret eats Cat food and NOT ferret food. She really likes the Chef's blend. My cat doesn't so they don't share.
Try adding some wet cat food to the food. Wet/Canned cat food has extra calories to it. It may be okay to give the ferret raisins or other dry fruits. I get a great "Ferret treat" in a can at the pet store that has lot's of fruits in it.
Does your ferret roam free? Maybe it is eating something in it's environment that isn't too healthy for it. I know mine will eat a few things like candle wax. She loves to eat candles which isn't good for her!
I am also concerned about the medications. This could also be a potential cause for not eating properly. The medicine could have side effects or the stress of taking the medication could be an issue.
Did you know that Ferrets are the only animal that can catch colds from humans? They do have an over the counter cold medicine if needed. I would also avoid handling the ferret too much if you have a cold. I have one now and it is killing me to NOT play with Measley. She actually gave me a cold last year!
Just try to relax and watch for environment and diet. My father raised ferrets and we usually had 25 at a time. They can fit into holes the size of quarters so be aware.

Yeah, I'm sure he is too thin. He weighs only one pound, he's usually about 2.5-3.5 lbs. He is literally skin & bones, you can't see of feel any muscle or fat.
I feed a mixture of excellent quality foods (no offense but chefs blend is one of the worst foods to feed a cat especially a ferret). Ferrets are 100% carnivores, they have no cecum which is what digests non meat materials, chefs blend has a lot of non meat ingredients. he eats a mixture of Innova cat, Innova Evo, Zupreem ferret food, TFS ferret food and sometimes I add CSFTKLS &/or felidae. He also eats a lot of raw meat & some really nice douck soup.
Like I metioned before, ferrets can NOT digest any non meat foods, so giving him raisins & other fruits is a BIG NO NO!!! Raisins, not only can they cause blockages but they are so loaded with sugar that they can cause insulinoma too.

He's not a free roamer but is allowed free roam of the house for at least a few hours a day. He hasn't been out much since he got sick, he just can't handle it and doesn't even seem really interested in running around much anyways.

Actually the meds he was on should of helped him. Besides he was sick before I started him on meds.

[lv4dogs]

Has he had adrenal surgery??? My Sebastian did the exact same thing after his adrenal surgery, we recently put him on steriods and he is now doing fine. His blood work showed nothing wrong but he went from 1400 grams to 940 grams in a very short time. My vet decided to just try the steriods and it has been a miracle. Prayers for you and your baby.

Nope he hasn't had any surgeries before, always been a really healthy boy. He was pred (steroid) for about a month, it didn't really seem to make a difference though.

[Queen of Poop]

Which pred was he on? Both kinds. My vet has advised that if one doesn't work either both or the other one might work.

I've been fattening up Sebastian with "chicken soup". Both boys just love it. It's a good reward for his having his pred twice a day.

Chicken Soup
1 jar chicken broth baby food
1/2 tsp nutracal
1 can vanilla ensure
1/2 cup whipping cream

Smells awful, they love it and it gets them fat really quickly.

[lv4dogs]

Which pred was he on? Both kinds. My vet has advised that if one doesn't work either both or the other one might work.

I've been fattening up Sebastian with "chicken soup". Both boys just love it. It's a good reward for his having his pred twice a day.

Chicken Soup
1 jar chicken broth baby food
1/2 tsp nutracal
1 can vanilla ensure
1/2 cup whipping cream

Smells awful, they love it and it gets them fat really quickly.

Hmmm, I'll have to call my vet right now. I didn't know there was 2 different kinds of pred. I don't know which one he was on, I thought there was just one pred. (time to go back to work at the vets I think lol)

Yeah, my ferrets used to get a duck soup like that, then I learned more & realized that raw meat is better. I don't think I ever make the same kind of soup twice, I don't measure & I like it to be vaired so they don't get imprinted on one soup.

I grind up any kind of meat, sometimes multiple kinds (beef, chicken, veal, lamb, venison, etc....) bones & all!
I always add some nupro to it.
Now I have carnivore care added to it for, mainly for Chaos but it's a good supplement for the others to help fatten them up for winter too.
I also add whipping cream to it sometimes (when ever I think they need to be fattened up)
Sometimes I add some crushed kibble to it.
Sometimes I add eggs to it (shells & all, ground up)
Sometimes I add ferretone &/or ferretvite

I know there are some other ingredients that I sometimes add.

[Scooby4]

I wonder if the ferret hasn't gotten a parasite from the meat? Raw meat has many parasites in it which may cause some digestive problems. If it was a tape worm you may see it by now. There are still "hook worms" or others that could easily have gotten into it's system.
By the way, I didn't choose the "Chef's Blend" dry cat food for my ferret. She chose it! Believe me, I've tried to switch her off the stuff but she won't eat anything else. My cat won't touch the Chef's blend at all. So I must buy separate foods for both.
My ferret was extremely small and I was worried. However, about a month ago she took on a growing spurt and has just gotten to "normal" size. She also roams free in one bedroom because of the dogs. My father had let her roam everywhere and she got into everything!!!

[lv4dogs]

He's had a few fecal checks, all came up negative but we dewormed him anyways, he's also been on 2 different antibiotics as a precaution because no one can figure out what is wrong with him.
Actually a lot of meats are safer now a days. And animals have different digestive systems than us, they can shed off many possible problems better than we may think.
I know a TON of people (including myself) that feed their ferrets, dogs, cats etc... a raw diet and they do well on it.

We went back to the vets last night, got him on some more pred. And of course another exam/consultation and another CBC (complete bood count). The vets, my ferret friends & I are all really thinking it is some sort of cancer. Possibly lymphoma as it is often known as "the silent killer" and can strike without warning and sometimes the tests don't pick it up. Usually though, within a couple months of illness you'll at least start to see other signs/symptoms that will help you diagnose it like enlarged lymph nodes, the blood work will start to show more signs, etc... So far nothing, but it has just been about 2 months, maybe he's just a real trooper hiding everything, hanging in there as long as possible???

[beeniesmom]

I just saw this....
So sorry about Chaos.
I was hoping he had gotten though the difficult time you told me about. I see that he is still having trouble. I hope he will be better soon.
He looks so cute from the pics. I love his little nose!

[lv4dogs]

Chaos is still with me but he hasn't improved any at all.

We saw the vets again yesterday, we are really thinking it is some form of cancer as thats about the only thing it can be with no results showing up on anything.

He's a trooper thats for sure. As long as he's comfortable he'll be here with us. But we are just taking it day by day. Cherising every minute of it.

[lv4dogs]

I just saw this....
So sorry about Chaos.
I was hoping he had gotten though the difficult time you told me about. I see that he is still having trouble. I hope he will be better soon.
He looks so cute from the pics. I love his little nose!

Don't let the pics fool you, one was taken in the spring the other 2 were taken a few months ago. he really is skin & bones.
He IS a cutie though!