| Gastric Ulcers by Lily
Ulcers in ferrets, when left untreated, can be fatal. Learn to spot the signs of an ulcer in your ferret. When detected and treated properly, ulcers can be cured. The most common cause of an ulcer in a ferret is stress. Stressful situations for your ferret may include moving, newbies, death of another ferret in the family, other illness, etc. If you adopt a rescue, keep particular note of any symptoms of an ulcer. It is not uncommon for a newly adopted rescue to develop an ulcer. Another cause of an ulcer in ferrets can be the Helicobacter bacterium. Helicobacter, found in the ferret's stomach, can cause a progressive inflammation in the stomach lining over the ferret's lifetime, making the ferret more susceptible to ulcers. A cousin bacteria to Helicobacter is H.pylori. That bacterium has been determined to lead to ulcers in humans. An ulcer causes an upset between the balance of normal acid secretion in the stomach, and the way the stomach lining protects itself against the acid. When left untreated, ulcers can lead to loss of appetite and less intake of food and nutrients (due to abdominal pain and discomfort), decreased ability to digest food, diarrhea and vomiting. The loss of blood from ulcerated areas can lead to anemia. A deep ulcer can cause a fatal gastric hemorrhage. Symptoms of Gastric Ulcers - Can include all or any of the following: -
Teeth grinding (it is a distinct sound - you'll know when they do it) -
Pawing at the mouth -
Black, Tarry Stools -
Refusal to Eat / Loss of Appetite -
Weight Loss - often dramatic and quick -
Excessive Lethargy -
Tarry substance around anus -
Diarrhea -
Vomiting Treatment for Ulcers If you notice the above symptoms in your ferret, please take your ferret to a qualified Veterinarian immediately. It is imperative that your ferret is treated with medication for an ulcer. The following are various medications your Vet may prescribe either separately, or in a combination: -
CARAFATE - generic name Sucralfate -
BIAXIN - an antibiotic -
AMOXICILLIN - an antibiotic -
METRONIDAZOLE - an antibiotic -
BISMUTH - similar to Pepto Bismol -
CIMETIDINE: Not very well loved by ferrets for it is very bitter and vile, but another option; it is a generic of Tagament and Tagament HB, yet effective on ferrets. It is very important to feed your ferret when they have been diagnosed with an ulcer. Most ferrets who have an ulcer will stop eating. Food will not only make their stomachs hurt less, it is imperative that they eat and stay hydrated. The best thing to do is make a DUCK SOUP and feed it to your ferret several times daily. Mix Pedialyte into the Duck Soup. Other alternatives are Hills A/D prescription diet and pureed ferret kibble. Dyne mixed in with the A/D also helps to add weight back quickly. Be sure its consistency will move through a syringe. Have your Vet show you how to syringe feed your ferret if necessary. We have notes on force feeding here. It is important to not shoot the food down the ferret because aspiration can occur (food entering the lungs). Very carefully feed a drop at a time, between the front teeth or sideways, behind the cainie tooth. Let your ferret swallow and go slowly. My own experience with gastric ulcers A few years ago I went away on vacation. Although my husband stayed home with the ferrets, Billy (who was over 7), adrenal and being treated with Lupron, developed an ulcer in my absence. Billy became quite ill two days after I left home. My husband called me and explained that Billy seemed to have lost an enormous amount of weight seemingly overnight. He was grinding his teeth badly and would not eat. I went home and we took him to the Vet. The Vet and I sat on the floor of the examination room together with Billy waiting for him to poop. When he finally did, it was very black and tarry. My Vet diagnosed Billy with an ulcer and prescribed Bismuth, 1 ML twice daily 15 minutes after administering his other prescription of Metronidazole liquid at .2 MLS twice daily for 10 days. He also prescribed Hills A/D and told me to syringe feed Billy no less than four times daily - a full 20 CC syringe full of food. We mixed the A/D with Dyne (a high calorie supplement) that we purchased from RevivalAnimal.com and water/pedialyte . We began the meds and syringe feeding. Billy didn't seem to mind the syringe feeding after the first couple times. We know the food on his stomach was soothing him. We fed him six times a day and during the night. Even so, he still did not seem to be gettng any better. We went back to the Vet and I asked him about Carafate. My Vet explained that using Carafate with an antibiotic sometimes may decrease the effectiveness of the antibiotic and he felt the ulcer needed to be treated with the antibiotic first. However, he told me to take Billy off the other two meds and put him on Carafate. He prescribed a large quantity of Carafate tablets. We were to cut them into 1/8ths and give 1/8 tablet every 12 hours, at least 15 minutes before feedings for absorption purposes. The tremendously quick response to Carafate was such a relief. Within two days Billy was eating a little on his own and playing again. It was like a miracle! A third trip to the Vet two weeks later showed Billy had begun gaining his weight back too :). Billy eventually began to eat the A/D and Dyne mixture on his own. In time, Billy finally began to eat hard kibble again. We still gave him his A/D and Dyne, but it was more of a treat for him at this point. He had really grown to enjoy the taste. After a while though, he lost interest in it and began eating his normal kibble diet. (I, unfortunately, only have one ferret that will eat meat). I believe every ferret owner should be aware of the symptoms of gastric ulcers and be able to spot them quickly. See your Vet right away for their recommended med treatment. Remember, ulcers when left untreated can be fatal. Know your fuzzy :).
Research Credits: Dr.Cohen, DVM, Ferret Universe, Bruce Williams DVM, Norka | 
