Bobby
Bobby
I've got another rescue in... A man phoned me Sunday night, 25th of March '01, he'd caught a ferret. A few months ago he got in touch with the vets and told them he caught a ferret or polecat so the vets phoned me and then I phoned him and we went out in the dark to see the ferret or polecat, went all the way to Crymych which is 18 miles on bendy roads, only to find out it was a mink. ;-) Mind you, it was only the second mink I'd seen alive and the first one in the wild. Anyway, he phoned again and of course I was wondering what sort of creature he managed to catch this time. This time he actually got it in a carrier so I told him to give the ferret food and water and we'd come Monday because we were going to Milford Haven and could call on the way back. Well, we got there and it definitely was a ferret or polecat but of course I was petrified that it was a polecat, first thing he did was hiss at me and he had a dark nose so could well have been a polecat. But all in all his behaviour was more ferret like, I did pick him up with gloves and he didn't try to bite so we took him home. At home the first trip for him was into the bathroom for a wash. He had matted fur, looked really old, had bite wounds on his neck and back and of course he had ticks. He needed 2 shampoos because he was so dirty! But he was all right with the washing, didn't try to bite or anything, he did try to nip when we cut his claws but he only nipped me lightly and quickly opened his mouth when he realised that he was biting me. He was very thin but looking at his teeth he looked pretty young, 1-2 years. And I fist thought he was an ill and old ferret...
He ate really well at first and ate about 4 times as much as the others but after about a week he slowed down! Oh, and of course he was mad. :-) I think when they're in season, the hormones disengage the brain. ;-) I only let him have a run in the ferret room when the big group was out and he was all over the place, he climbed up and down his cage door and on top of his and the babies' cage and on the window sill, he walked on the pipes and on the radiator instead of using the normal and easy way, one night I found him hanging from the mesh top in his cage, hanging head down from it like he was a monkey!
He was castrated on the Friday, 4 days after he got here. He was so happy when I picked him up, he was behaving like a wild animal in his carrier, biting the door but when I got him out, he quietly laid in my arms... He went really quiet after his castration, once the hormones were gone, he was a completely different ferret, he loves cuddling and is pretty laid back.
Of course Pete wanted to keep him, his excuse was that we don't have a polecat hob and because Bobby was so sweet and Pete also named Bobby. After Spike we were almost naming him after another caracter from Buffy or Angel, we thought of Riley, Giles or Wesley but then decided to call him Bobby...
Around the middle of April I started letting Bobby have a run with Rose, Jasmine and Gremlin, he got on really well with the girls so I added Hobo eventually and Hobo wasn't bad with Bobby, a bit of bullying but nothing bad. So I added Barney as well who bullied a bit more but still not bad at all. And within a week I put Bobby in with Rose's group. I sprayed him well with Bitter Apple to start with so Spike wouldn't bully him too bad. Spike is a real bully and the problem is that Bobby doesn't defend himself and won't answer back. But the Bitter Apple pretty much stopped Spike from attacking, Spike did bite Bobby but after 1 second he'd turn away and try and get the awful taste out of his mouth. Bobby has now learnt to answer back and will chase Spike if Spike attacks...
Update July 2005
Bobby has been having chronic diarrhoea. He had a blood test and also faecal test, the faecal test came back positive for campylobacter so he was treated for this but the diarrhoea didn't go away. Bobby is fine though despite the diarrhoea, his appetite is fine and he is very active and playful.
Faecal test 13/07/05
MICROBIOLOGY
FAECES
Microscopical examination - No ova, larvae or protozoa found.
Aerobic culture - No bacterial pathogens isolated.
Salmonella - Salmonella spp NOT DETECTED.
Campylobacter culture - Campylobacter spp. isolated.
The cultural characteristics of this organism prohibit standardised susceptibility testing. Antimicrobials of choice: Erythromycin, Fluoroquinolones (Enrofloxacin / Marbofloxacin), Tetracycline and Chloramphenicol. (Murray PR, et al, Manual of Clinical Microbiology, ASM Press 1999) Note : Generic antibiotics quoted. The choice of antibiotic and knowledge of any contraindications is the Veterinary Surgeons responsibility.
Blood test 14/07/2005
BIOCHEISTRY
Total Protein 60.0 g/l (51.0 - 74.0)
Albumin 28.4 g/l (26.0 - 41.0)
Globulin 31.6 g/l
Urea 10.3 mmol/1 (10.0 - 15.0)
Creatinine 68 umol/l (0 – 79)
ALT * 122 U/1 High (0 - 119)
ALP 43 U/1 (34-66)
Lipase 772 U/l
Glucose * 5.38 mmo1/1 Low (9.00 – 12.5O)
No Fluoride Oxalate sample submitted so Glucose run on the spun serum gel
Serum Protein electrophoresis 38
Total Protein 66 High g/l
Albumin 28 Low g/l
Electrophoresis
Total globulin 38 High g/l
Total Gamma globulin 21 g/l
HAEMATOLOGY
Haemoglobin 13.6 g/dl (12.0 – 18.0)
Haematocrit 0.48 1/1 (0.43 - 0.55)
Red Blood Cells 8.20 l0^12/l (6.70 - 12.10)
MCV 58.5 fl
MCHC 28.3 g/dl
MCH 16.6 pg
White Blood Cells 5.2 10^9/l (4.4 - 19.1)
Neutrophils segmented 38% 1.98 10^9/l (l.36 – 10.87)
Neutrophils Banded 0% 0.00 10^9/l
Lymphocytes 60% 3.12 10^9/l (1.64 - 11.07)
Eosinophils 2% 0.10 10^9/l (0.00 - 1.30)
Monocytes 0% 0.00 10^9/l (0.00 – 1.71)
Basophils 0% 0.00 10^9/l
Platelets * 155 10^9/l Low (300 900)
Film Comment
RBC: The red cells appear normal
WBC: The white blood cell morphology appears normal.
Clinical comment
General results would possibly be consistent with inflammatory bowel disease, but clinical history on the form is incomplete.
Update October 2006
Bobby has become very hyperactive during the last 2 months. I don’t know what is wrong with him. When he is in the cage, he gets almost panicky and will scratch at the door, runs around or lays under the toilet and kicks it. When I let him out he runs around, checks all his toys, puts them where he wants them to be, checks them again and when he’s happy he goes to bed. He will sleep very hard and be completely out of it but the moment I put him back in his cage, he comes back to live and will start throwing tantrums again. He is using up so much energy that I have upped his portions. I keep wondering whether it is an adrenal problem? Or do ferrets get compulsive obsessive disorder? His appetite is fine, he drinks normal, pees and poohs okay and has just gone through the coat change. Even though his coat isn’t the best and is growing slowly. He has always been calm in his cage, this behaviour has only recently started... I usually weigh the ferrets every months but last month I didn’t get round to it and in the last 2 months Bobby lost 180g. He is not thin and looks quite normal but the weight loss is there. And his weight has been very steady.
We just had another accident involving Bobby. My ferrets Leo and Piper and hyperactive, too. They’re 2 streamline albinos, 2 years old, brother and sister. When they’re out, all they do is run and jump. They’re also very aggressive towards the other ferrets. The ferrets’ cages are 1 big unit almost like a wardrobe or something, made of wood with wire mesh fronts and sides. Leo and Piper will jump up the cage (it’s got legs so the cages are a foot off the floor) and then they’ll climb up the mesh front and try and get at any ferrets that are by the front. If one is sleeping leaning against the mesh, they’ll try and bite it. Earlier this year they got hold of Rose’s tongue (she must have either mouthed at them or yawned and stuck her tongue out) and they tore her tongue so it needed to be partly amputated. Well, this time they got Bobby’s tongue. He didn’t bleed much and didn’t act like he was in pain so I found out during one afternoon when he and Gremlin were out. They were asleep and I saw 2 drops of watery blood on the floor so I checked Gremlin (I thought one was passing blood) and she was fine and I checked Bobby and he had a stuffy mouth, like they get with a tooth abscess where saliva builds up around the mouth so I looked in his mouth and saw the tongue. Took him to the vets, the tongue wasn’t nearly as bad as Rose’s but I wanted him to have antibiotics of course and painkiller. He kept eating, Rose refused food and water and medication after her tongue operation and barely ate for 3 days or so. But Bobby continued to eat, he was and still is in pain but he ate okay. And takes his antibiotics. I wonder why Leo and Piper are the way they are...
Update October 2006
I put Bobby back on melatonin in case it is adrenal disease that is making him hyperactive. Last winter I put him on melatonin because his coat was very thin and he grew a much better thicker coat. Not a beautiful coat like most of the others but a lot better than the one he had. Then I stopped the melatonin late spring and thought I would take it up in October again for half a year. It is already making a difference in Bobby. He is calmer but still gets episodes when he absolutely does not want to stay in the cage but there is already an improvement.
Update Septemer 2007
Bobby's life has been pretty uneventful (no, he hasn't died). He loved being in a group with Rose, Jasmine, Hobo and Gremlin. Barney died just over a month after Bobby arrived, and Spike died just over half a year after Bobby's arrival so he's really only been with Rose, Jasmine, Hobo and Gremlin properly. Hobo then died October '04, Jasmine April '05, Rose July '06 and Gremlin March '07. So Bobby has been on his own since March. He doesn't seem to mind and enjoys running around. His favourite thing is to carry toys around and put them away neatly. He'll carry jingly balls and any other soft toys up and down the stairs and put them into his favourite corners. Once he's happy that everything is where it belongs, he'll do other things. :-)
He's slowed down a bit over the last 4 months. He used to be so active and ran around for at least 1 hour morning and night but then he started having low blood sugars, not very low, but the last 2 or so months he has only played 1/2 an hour before going to bed again. So now he comes out twice for 1/2 an hour, as in twice in the morning and twice at night.
He also still has a problem with diarrhoea. He's had diarrhoea on and off for the last 2 1/2 or so years but this year it became worse. He had another blood test in April this year, I think to check his renal values and to check for ADV (only by looking at the TP and possibly doing a protein electrophoresis).
Blood test 03/04/2007
BIOCHEMISTRY
Total Protein 51 g/l (51 - 74)
Albumin 28 g/l (26 - 41)
Globulin 23 g/l
A/G Ratio 1.2 g/l
Urea 17.3 mmol/l (1.9 - 7.49)
Creatinine 56 umol/l (< 75.0)
Sodium 149 mmol/l (128 - 158)
Potassium 5.11 mmol/l (3.9 - 5.5)
Calcium 1.83 mmol/l (1.99 - 2.94)
Phosphorous 2.47 mmol/l (1.03 - 3.06)
Ionised Calcium 1.14 mmol/l
ALP 34 iu/l (34 - 66)
ALT 58 iu/l
Bile Acids 4.0 umol/l (0 - 8)
HAEMATOLOGY
RBC 6.76 x10^12/l (6.7 - 12.1)
Hb 12.5 g/dl (12.0 - 18.0)
HCT 0.39 % (0.43 - 0.55)
MCV 58.0 fl
MCH 18.5 pg
MCHC 31.8 g/dl
Platelets 324 x10^9/l (297 - 910)
White Blood Cells 16.07 x10^9/l (3.5 – 7.0)
Neutrophils 37% 5.95 x10^9/l (1.5 – 5.9)
Neutrophils (Band) 0% 0.00 x10^9/l
Lymphocytes 61% 9.80 x10^9/l (1.7 – 2.9)
Monocytes 0% 0.00 x10^9/l (0 - 1.17)
Eosinophils 1% 0.16 x10^9/l (< 0.35)
Basophils 1% 0.16 10^9/l (< 0.14)
Blood Film Examination
Blood smear prepared from EDTA sample was examined. Red cells appear normocytic and normochromic. No increase in polychromasia is seen. A mild mature neutrophilia is seen with no evidence of toxic changes seen. A mild to moderate lymphocytosis is seen. Increased numbers of reactive lymphocytes are observed. Please note the greater than expect inverted differential obtained. A mild basophilia is seen. Platelets appear adequate in number and normal in morphology with no evidence of platelet clumping or EDTA clots seen.
CLINICAL FINDINGS
In about June, Bobby had some Synulox antibiotics for his mouth because he had red gums. The antibiotics didn't just sort his mouth but also stopped the diarrhoea. But once the antibiotics were stopped, the diarrhoea came back. Then in July he was put on an injectable antibiotic called Borgal, he had to have it for 3 weeks for a nasty hacking cough he developed. He actually had 2 courses of this antibiotic because the first time round I didn't have enough antibiotic and he only had it for 2 weeks but then a few weeks later, through August, he did have a full 3 week course. During this time, the diarrhoea stopped again. I don't know why antibiotics have this effect but I have read about ferrets with IBD and for some, antibiotics work best. Anyway, he had about 6-8 bowel movements a day while on antibiotics. Then, when theyw ere stopped, the diarrhoea cam back gradually and he would end up having up to 20 bowel movements a day, at least twice as many as when he was on antibiotics.
He has been on pred since about June, since he showed symptoms of low blood glucose but the pred didn't help with the diarrhoea. Then Michaela suggested trying oat bran in with his meat and it seems to be helping him- but only with pred. I'd cut his pred down from 1/2 mg to 1/4 mg and the diarrhoea got worse but if he has 1/2 mg pred and oat bran, fish oil and cod liver oil added to his food, his stools are normal in number and also well formed. I hope this will continue to work. :-)
Here's a page showing the sort of diarrhoea he had/ has and what the stools looked like on antibiotics:
