Update on Kaos. my sick ferret
Well that old lady has been leading me a very merry dance!
One day about two weeks ago, she went all skinny and wobbly and I was sure she was going to die on me (before I went into hospital). I was up practically every hour on the hour at night, checking to make sure she was still breathing. That was Thursday, October 11. I made an appointment to take her to my vet as I didn’t want to risk having her fall sick over the weekend.
Friday she seemed better and was moving normally. Although skinny, she didn’t appear to be in distress or upset. I thought, “phew!” and had my fingers crossed whatever it was that caused her wobbliness had passed. I cancelled the appointment with my vet.
Saturday it happened again. She could hardly walk and looked dazed and confused. Again, I had visions of her dying on me so was up, checking on her throughout the night. I was so worried that I emailed Kamila, my TCM practitioner, and asked her if I could increase the dose of Kaos’ TCM. Kamila thought it was best not to but thought about giving her some other formula in addition to the one she’s already taking.
Sunday and Monday she was fine. It was as if I had imagined it all, so I emailed Kamila and told her. We thought it best to leave things as is.
Then it happened again when I was in hospital. Philip was terribly concerned and I felt absolutely helpless, stuck there unable to do anything.
I almost ran out of the hospital when the doctor said I could go home and was pretty worried to see how really skinny Kaos had got. She seemed to not know where she was, so I brought the food and water into our bedroom and put it right by the chest of drawers so that she didn’t have to go anywhere to eat.
All through the night I heard her eating – it was quite incredible! Chomp chomp chomp, scoff scoff chomp … it was like she had been starved for a week!
By the next day she actually looked like she had put on weight and since then she’s gone from strength to strength again. She’s eating like a horse and has filled out beautifully. She has a spring in her step when she’s wandering around the house and a sparkle in her eye — and there’s no sign of confusion!
I told Kamila all this and she came back with the suggestion that perhaps Kaos had caught a virus, and that’s what caused the strange dips in her condition. I guess that could be the reason as the whole thing was quite bizarre.
Anyway, whatever the reason – I am just really glad that she’s her old self again!
As all ferret owners who’ve had sick ferrets know, it’s bad enough to look after a sick ferret when you know what’s wrong with it. But when these odd things happen and you have no idea why your ferret has gone downhill all of a sudden, it really makes you feel completely helpless and useless, plus being absolutely stressful.
There’s just one strange thing I’ve noticed … she seems to have an orange stripe down her spine to the top of her tail. Can you see it in this picture of her?
The fur on the top of her head also has gone a kind of rusty color – I wonder if it’s the TCM which is causing that to happen?!
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Filed under: Cardiomyopathy • Ferret Illnesses • Natural Remedies • Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Thanks for the update.
Probably was a virus although a serious ear mite infection can cause a ferret to becomes unbalanced (lose inner ear balance.)
Michelle … initially, Kamila thought that maybe Kaos’ (Western) medication had stopped working so she was thinking about making up Yang qi tonics which would have to be taken with the xue fu zhu yu tang (blood tonics).
However when Kaos came good, we decided to leave things as is.
I just wrote about how dirty Kaos’ ears were – really blocked up with ear mites – so was wondering if that caused her to be wobbly and unsteady on her feet, and then also go off her food?
Although – thinking about it now – she did come good before I gave her her Revolution so the mites couldn’t have caused her problem.
I guess it must have been a virus.
So glad to hear she is better. I know what a scare that can be.
In the end, did the TCM vet decide to give her an additional (third, now?) formula to take?
Also, I know my Champaign color fuzzies turned a bit orange-ish from the extra oils when their winter coats were coming in too.
Thanks so much to you both for all your thoughts and suggestions about Kaos.
I did take her to the vet several weeks ago when she got very skinny after starting her heart medication. The vet checked her thoroughly and said there was nothing else lurking in her body to cause her to lose weight, so we just reduced her diuretic dose from twice a day to once a day.
I have been checking her gums to make sure she wasn’t anemic. I’m happy to report they are pink and healthy looking, as are the pads on her feet.
AND … the orange stripe down her back has faded today. She just has the blob at the base of her tail which is still dark! Even the hair on her head has lost much of that rusty color. Quite bizarre!
I’ve heard about the odor given off by ferrets with adrenal problems … someone described it as like burnt corn chips once! No, she doesn’t smell fruity or sweet – but she does have a slight odor like the Chinese medicine I give her so it must be that.
No change in daily routine, the other ferrets are fine with her and she sleeps in the same places – sometimes cuddling the others, sometimes on her own.
If Angus and Seamus are too rough when they play near her, she screams at them! Very loudly, I might add, and they stop immediately
So there’s no chance of them picking on her or causing her stress if we aren’t home.
I will keep an eye out on the old girl and if that stripe comes back, will definitely get a picture of it and put it up here.
Again, thanks so much for all your suggestions and help.
Nona..Blow on the stripe and look at the skin dose it look darker too
or is it just the fur.. there’s a pretty good chance you being gone stressed her out not wanting to eat. The stripe I’ve noted on my ferrets as well from time to time
except for Josie. The herbs may have this side effect or it may be
just part of the reason.
You have described what boe was doing when i first found out he had inslinoma and his sugar levels were jumping around.
so here’s some Q’s
1 Have you checked kaos blood sugar level lately?
2 do you have any readings to compare it to.
3 Look at the times of day,
dose it happen before of after eating or taking meds when she plays?
4..has she changed her daily
routine?
5..Do the other ferrets nussle her from time to time and or seem worried or stressed?
6…do they avoid her.
7..Here’s a strange one, Smell her head and her lower back. Dose she smell like “french toast” or a sweet odor? “like maple syrup”?
if so you should suspect adrenal and/or insulin problems.
I have both read about this with ferrets and found that Julian also smells like french toast. boe at times dose too.
i know people with diabetes often give off a sweet fruity odor.
so there maybe some merit to this.
Could you please get a better pic of the skin along her back and tail. and the pads of her feet. do her gums look pale?
Hi,
Glad your baby is doing better. The first thing I thought of was maybe insulinoma or some other issue with blood sugar levels. Might not be a bad idea to get her checked for that at your vet. even if she is feeling better. One of ours had a nasty gastrointestinal virus a few months ago, lost a ton of weight, and got wobbly from dehydration and we had to give him sub-cutaneous fluids. Took 3 or so months before he got back to his old self and off the chicken baby food and back onto his regular ferret food. We think some of it was due to stress and grieving from the recent passing of his cagemate lifetime cagemate.
As for the rusty color, our light colored fuzzies do that when their winter coats are coming in.