My ferret is sick with diarrhea and not eating. Can I care for her at home?

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!

Hello. Thank you for using PetCoach. Sorry that Buzz is not feeling well. He really needs to see a vet for this issue. My guess is that he has an upper respiratory infection and this is not likely something that is going to resolve without antibiotic therapy since he has not gotten any better in the last 4 days. If you have pet insurance with 24PetWatch they should cover this issue. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=11+2071&aid=565 In the meantime I suggest you force feed him some Carnivore Care to get some nutrition into him and get him a vitamin: http://www.petsupplies4less.com/Carnivore-Care_p_1496.html https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/8-in-1-ferretvite-vita-sol-liquid-multi-vitamin-for-ferrets I strongly recommend you get him to your vet ASAP before this gets worse. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I am sorry to hear that Ender isn’t doing well. I would encourage you to start calling veterinarians in your area to see who treats exotics. It is possible that you may have to travel some. From what you describe I am worried about something called an insulinoma. This a small tumor on the pancreas that produces too much insulin. The insulin drives the glucose too low and they act just like a diabetic with low glucose would act. These tumors are very common in ferrets. Surgical removal or medical treatment with medications to increase glucose levels can be somewhat helpful. Best of luck, and I hope you find a veterinarian who can help you soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I agree it is difficult to pinpoint what is the problem with Fera. I wonder if she had any episodes of vomiting or weight loss, or has she been sneezing at all ? Any changes in her appetite ? Has she had any blood tests done ? If you can I would recommend to chose to go for further investigations, as the symptoms are quite vague but at the same time we don’t want Fera to become too poorly ! In order to answer your question, a consultation with one of our exotics vet might be your second option, providing as many details as possible would help formulating a differential list of conditions.

I would be concerned that your ferret is either constipated, having diarrhea, or perhaps has a foreign body/blockage going on. If she does not eat within a 24 hour period then yes, I would recommend taking her into the vet. Your veterinarian will need to palpate her abdomen, possibly do a fecal exam, and may recommend abdominal x-rays and an ultrasound. Because ferrets are so small they can become dehydrated and weak very quickly if not eating and drinking. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Please let us know if you have any other questions or if anything changes with Zelda. Best of luck!

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.

It could be stress related to the new home, but given her age, she should be examined by your veterinarian tonight. A young ferret can quickly become dehydrated which may complicate any underlying condition(s). Discontinue solid food for now and offer just a tablespoon or two of water or unflavored PediaLyte every hour until Josie sees the doctor.