The organism known to cause stomach ulcers in ferrets the spiral-shaped bacterium Helicobacter mustelae.
Patients may be asymptomatic or present with weight loss, loss of appetite, diarrhea, black feces, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, heavy drooling, pawing at the mouth, teeth grinding, and enlarged intra-abdominal lymph nodes.
Conditions that may have similar symptoms include stress, dietary indiscretion, food allergies, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, esophageal acid reflux disease, non-Helicobacter caused stomach or intestinal ulceration, gastrointestinal foreign bodies, infections (parasitic, bacterial, or viral), inflammatory bowel disease, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, lymphoma, and other gastrointestinal tumors.
Your veterinarian will recommend fecal testing and possibly a fecal occult blood test. They may also recommend radiographs and PCR testing for Helicobacter. Intestinal biopsy do provide definitive diagnosis, but they require anesthesia and surgery to acquire.
Treatment for Helicobacter ulcers in ferrets involves a combination of prescription antibiotics, antacids, and medications called gastroprotectants. Pain medications may be necessary in some cases as well.
The prognosis is generally favorable but this is dependent on the degree of debilitation and any concurrent illnesses.
It’s recommended to recheck before end of antibiotic course to determine if additional treatment time is necessary.
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