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I know a few of you have ferrets… so while I’m waiting for Sunday to end so I can visit a vet (why are they not open on sunday? Dumb), I wanted to ask you guys and see if you could help, or know what might be going on.
I’ve read a lot of stuff on the internet… so I’m really not sure what it could be. I normally like to figure out what my animal has, just so I’m aware… but I can’t figure it out.
My oldest ferret (he’s around 5, maybe 6. I got him in 2004, but I’m not sure what his age was at the time… he could have been a year) has recently been losing weight. He’s always been thin, ever since the day I brought him home… but now I can feel his spine. His stomach feels a little hard too (and large… but maybe that’s because of his weight?), and his hair seems to be lightening (the hair around his back, his head and neck are not changing). He eats, drinks, and goes to the bathroom. Over the past few years, he’s gotten kinda less active… so I never thought much about him sleeping more these days… but maybe that’s a problem too. Sometimes he seems to have trouble walking, but I normally contribute that to him just waking up… but again, maybe that’s a problem too.
He’ll come charging after his squeak toy, and if you pick him up and he wants to go, he has no problem running off or jumping off the bed.
I feed him vitamins every day (ran out a couple days ago, waiting on the mail to bring more), and give him ferretlax often.
Has anyone had this happen before? Or know what it might be?I’m just really worried about him. My ferrets are my children, more so than my other animals.
Has the weight loss come on all of a sudden? or has he slowly been losing it over months? Can you feel any unusual lumps or masses anywhere? Check all the organs and compare size/firmness with any reference you can find. Has he been vomiting, having diarhea? If you’re going to take him in tomorrow, you might want to have a stool sample ready to take in for the vet, just put it in a plastic bag, they should ask for it. He may have worms or a parasite or something, so check his stool for any indication of worms (like little granuals that look like grains of rice *tapeworm*) stuff like that, I know tapeworms in critters that small can make them lose quite a bit of weight that they don’t have to begin with.
Hope he’s ok!
He might have tumours… unfortunately, ferrets tend to get them very easily, especially if they’ve been neutered/descented when very young. If that’s the case, you need a vet to confirm and usually, they recommend surgery.
😥
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http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmI’m sorry your boy is not doing so well and will keep my fingers crossed that it is not serious. And that it is treatable if it is serious. I know nothing about ferrets so can not offer help or advice. Only good wishes.
He’s gone. I came home last night, around 12:30 and he wouldn’t move, even for his favorite squeak toy… he was in one of his favorite sleep spots, behind the laundry machines… and I just kept asking for him to move. He slowly, and I could tell he was in pain, crawled his way to a spot where I could grab him. He had gunk all over him, and he was gasping for air… I called my best, and he came down in minutes. We rushed him to an emergency clinic that treated ferrets where they put him on oxygen and something for the pain. About 20 minutes later he went into cardiac arrest.
He had fluid in his lungs… and they think he might had had lung cancer.
Saturday was 6 months since my mom died of cancer. He went just a little bit after my mom… she went on the 10th at 4:40pm, he went around 2:45am the 12th… I wasn’t in my right mind enough to check the time when they told me he stopped breathing…He was my precious baby boy. He was my child. He meant more to me than I could ever express.
Maybe it was a premonition, but a few weeks ago I randomly started crying about him while I was laying on the floor with him that night. Wondering what I was ever going to do without him…At least my mom was there waiting for him… she loved him so much. And he’s not alone…
He’s getting a private cremation… I want him back home…
To those who haven’t had ferrets… they form a bond with you unlike any other animal. Like my dad said this morning… Howl wasn’t a pet, he was another family member… just like mom, my brother or me.
I wish I had more photos, but I’m on my dads computer since it’s always on… these are all I could find on photobucket… my main photobucket probably has a lot more, but I’ve somehow lost my password… and photobucket has no service to speak of…
With my best friend
And with his favorite ferret, Reinrassic (and how old this picture is… Reiny now has a full mask, white all around it). I bought Reiny a number of days after my mom died to keep Howl company (since I was working two jobs at the time)… Reiny has been wondering around the house, checking all of Howl’s favorite spots, looking for him… when we came home after the clinic, you could tell… he knew something was wrong. Before we left with Howl, Reiny was with us in the bathroom and he went over to Howl, and put his chin on the top of Howl’s head… He even slept with me this morning… something he’s never done before… that was always Howl who did that…
Reiny isn’t even two years old… and to have his only friend suddenly gone…This year has really taught me that you need to take everyday like it’s a special day. Spend time with those you care for… because in a second they could be gone.
I don’t have to will to do anything.
Oh, I’m so sorry! All I can offer of virtual hugs 🙁
Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
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http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmSorry for your loss.
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Sun Dragon Koi #3My deepest sympathy for your loss. I feel for you and know how it is having lost my baby (Tristen) just a little over 6 months ago. I still cry over losing him
I’m so sorry for your loss. Our little furbabies are family–it hurts just a bad to lose one. [Many hugs.]
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