Ferret loosing weight

[jhiggins 48]

My best Jill ferret has suddenly lost a lot of weight. Her ribs and back bone are clearly visible. She is quite old, not sure exactly but certianly over 4 yrs old.

 

The other two Jills in with her have not lost any weight at all. I haven't changed the food, or the amount i am feeding.

 

I have given her some rabbit today and she ate that but i was wondering if there was anything else i could give her to get her back to full strength.

 

She seems a bit spaced out when she walks about and seems to rest on her belly as well.

 

I have noticed that she is the only one that larders her food, the others just eat at the bowl. Is there any merit in separating her off and feeding her a pouch of wet cat food each day??

 

Any help much appreciated

[Guest annette jackman]

move her to a separate cage to feed, try some cat milk [bANNED TEXT] a drop of fish oil try abit of liver and heart for iron and vit d. hope she gets better

[patterdalejoel 669]

i had a 1 year old jill do this, tried giving her fatty food, high protein, in the end she went so bad i put her down. would like to know what caused it, sounds exactly like yours.

[muddy210 34]

had the same earlier this year got her in the house when i noticed by morning she was gone id get her to a vets asap get some milk and fresh meat down her and hope she does ok mine went down that quick i didnt get chance to get her to the vets at first i put the weight loss down to her season and time of year and because she was so small anyway it happened real quick

 

atb mate

[jhiggins 48]

Shes had some rabbit and normal cow milk today. Got her in the living room now and shes mooching around slowly. Her belly seems really saggy and drags along the floor. Is that just because ive fed her the milk and meet today??

 

Going to take her to the vets first thing.

[muddy210 34]

keep a good eye on her they should never drag their bellys under normal circumstances. dont overdo the cows milk ferrets are lactose intolerant, try giving her an egg maybe anything thats going to be easily palatable for her.

 

give her access to plenty of water aswell whats the weather been like down there today it could be shes suffering from the heat its been boiling hot here today fast way for a ferret to go is in the heat.

[ferret100 47]

Sorry to hear about your jill. Have you checked her teeth? Are her gums pale? Is she toileting ok? Seems like she is in discomfort if she is dragging her belly. Might be worth a quick call to vets and see if you have anything in the house that might ease her symptoms before morning. Atb.

[Tug 168]

Cow milk's no good for ferrets, they can't hack the lactose. Let us know what the vets says.

[jhiggins 48]

Thanks for all the replies, I've got her in the house now and she's just wolfed down 6 bits of fresh rabbit.

 

Seems a bit brighter in herself, gums seem ok. I have noticed the last few times she went to the toilet only a small amount came out??

 

I'm Lamping tonight so I should be able to get her some rabbit kidney or hearts tonight.

 

Should I be worried about giving her too much?

[ferret100 47]

It seems like some sort of abdominal issue, if she isn't pooing properly it could possibly be a blockage, which really isn't great. If you have any oil, olive/sunflower etc or even a specialised oil product for ferts, give her a teaspoon every few hours, if it is a blockage this will help her. Might be best to limit her food intake for now until she sees vet, maybe 2/3rds, even 1/2 of normal until she gets checked out in morning, no good to pack food into a swollen belly. But it might well be best to call vet now for advice, don't like the sound of this problem with your jill. Atb.

[jhiggins 48]

Just spoke to the vet, he agrees that oil is a good idea so thanks for that. Going to give her some ferretone.

 

The belly doesnt seem swollen, more like it is sagging or the skin is sagging. She's seems pretty bright now and has curled up on my coat. I was going to put her back with the others or do u think she would be better left on doors??

 

Thanks for all the replies

[skycat 6,173]

Are you feeding a dry food? If you are.............don't! Fresh whole rabbit: the whole carcase, skin, fur, bones and all, including the guts. That is the best food for ferrets: none of this dry crap that blocks them up and causes untold problems. Forget cat food as well: feed natural all the time, no milk, no God knows what else. We've had ferrets for over 30 years and only ever fed them on rabbit or pigeon and never lost one until it died of old age.

[ferret100 47]

Entirely up to you, if you think she'd be happier being with others or alone to get some rest, your call, you know her best and know what would be best fo her. Certainly if ferretone is what you have, go ahead, but might be worth while getting a natural product that doesn't contain the crap ferretone does for future use. Her problem sounds quite unusual, hope vet sorts it asap. Atb.

[AndyKelly 251]

belly pork is cool for chucking the weight on ferrets when she picks up

[Tug 168]

belly pork is cool for chucking the weight on ferrets when she picks up

Too much salt in pork