My ferret has ECE. Why are they still vomiting and having diarrhea?

Thanks for reaching out and including a photo. This appears to be a common clinical sign of a viral diarrhea common viral enteritis (ECE). It is often complicated with secondary bacterial infections. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Antibiotics and fluids (if dehydrated) are the minimum, but if severe might necessitate hospitalization with an IV catheter. This is contagious to other ferrets. Good luck.

You are correct to assume the green slimy diarrhea is often associated with ECE (a coronavirus). This disease is usually self limiting but animal can suffer from dehydration, mal-nutrition and secondary bacterial infections. Monitor closely for clinical signs of slowing down. If so, it is highly recommended you see a veterinarian.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to conditions such as pancreatitis, gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal foreign body ingestion and obstruction, among other possibilities. I suggest other diagnostics are performed at this point such as abdominal ultrasound and labwork. It is crucial to find out exactly what is going on so that therapy can be used based on the specific condition. In the meantime, they may be able to prescribe anti-nausea medications as that may be why she is not eating well. Best of luck!

If they are otherwise well, eating, palyful and not losing weight I would continue to monitor them closely. Ferrets are susceptible to a number of upper respiratory viruses just as we are and they tend to be self limiting, resolving over a couple of weeks (and do not cure with antibiotics). Be cautious about using any possible irritants such as air fresheners etc which may be aggravating the symptoms. If there condition worsens, they lose weight, appetite or energy then a recheck by a ferret familiar vet would be recommended.

It can be the wet food but it could also be other things. It sounds as Fierros is suffering from a gastrointestinal condition, possibly an infection. it could also be due to ingestion of a foreign body material. i would recommend taking him to the vet the first chance you get, he will need to be checked first, if the vet thinks it's a simple gastrointestinal infection he will need an anti vomiting injection, antibiotics and a special food for a few days in order to get better.

You mention that Snowball is getting better with treatment, so I would not give up yet. Just as when a child is sick, animals will need time to get better and healthy. Keep on pampering him and spoon feeding him until he eats by himself, make sure he gets enough fluid, and keep him warm. He should be improving a little every day. It can take a good few days for him to get healthy, so as long as he is steadily improving there is hope.

If Nibbles was being treated with the antibiotics for diarrhea and the diarrhea has not improved or resolved, it could be that he needs a different antibiotic. I would recommend contacting the veterinarian who prescribed the antibiotics to let them know about the lack of improvement, and they may recommend switching the antibiotics. Additionally, they may recommend collecting a sample of the feces to evaluate it under the microscope, and potentially culturing a sample to see what bacteria grows. I hope that helps to answer your question, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.