My ferret has black, liquid stool. Should I take him to the vet?

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In my experience, granular stool in ferrets is caused either by feeding a diet with bones or by an issue with the way the food is digested. The dark tarry stools can also be caused by certain foods or digested blood or bile. Bleeding in the intestinal tract can be caused by certain parasites or ulcers, both of which are fairly common in ferrets. Both of the medications prescribed are used to treat both conditions - metronidazole is an antiparasitic medication with some antibiotic properties, while omeprazole decreases acid production in the stomach. You may want to re-evaluate the diet you are feeding your ferrets, and ask your vet about running some tests to check for blood in the stool as well as to check how well the intestinal tract is digesting food. An abdominal ultrasound can be performed to see if there are any ulcers or masses present. I hope this helps!

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Poor Badger! His intestinal issues can be caused by viral or bacterial infections or intestinal parasites. While certain viral infections run their course, I recommend having him seen by a vet because you describe him as having lower energy levels and appetite. Badger may need some supportive care to help stabilize him. To speed up the diagnostic process, I recommend bringing a stool sample from Badger in a disposable container so your vet can check for intestinal parasites. I hope this helps and that Badger feels better soon!

Thanks for reaching out about Brinston. Changes in fecal quality, composition or color can be dietary, intestinal infections (bacteria, virus) or parasites, metabolic disorders and ingested foreign material. If persists, a veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a treatment plan. Continue to monitor feces, try to stabilize diet (no treats). Good luck.

Draco is probably suffering from a severe gastrointestinal condition causing bleeding stomach ulcers, unfortunately this is not a condition that you can treat at home, he will need prescription medications and for the first few days he will need to be hospitalized, otherwise he will likely not survive this. if money is an issue, please contact a pet charity in your area of living, they should be able to help, in any case- Draco must see a vet urgently.

It is definitely something to keep a close eye on but I don't know if I would be overly concerned just yet unless he is showing other symptoms of illness (like vomiting, not eating, lethargy, etc). If all else is OK I suggest you start Bilbo on a probiotic to see if that will help. https://petvaluemart.com/digestive-enzymes/111-purina-fortiflora.html?search_query=fortiflora&results=1 Also, be sure you are feeding him a high quality diet like Marshalls or Zupreem. http://www.ferretdepot.com/food-!%60-nutrition/ferret-food/ And don't feed any treats unless they are labeled for ferrets: http://www.ferretdepot.com/toys-!%60-treats/ferret-treats/ If the mucus persists despite these changes then I suggest you get him to your vet for an exam. Hope this helps!