...in the Company of Ferrets, Inc.

READ THIS BEFORE YOUR FERRET GETS SICK

(Editor’s Note: We are getting several calls a week from ferret parents with sick kids, most of them with the flu. Same old story, vets who don’t know what is wrong or what to do. If you DON’T have a copy of this article from previous newsletters available, put this one in an easily accessible place, so that in the event your rugrat gets sick, you have it to use as a reference.)

What we’ve seen in this first round is primarily an upper respiratory, with sneezing, coughing, runny noses and eyes. We used Amoxi (1/2 cc twice a day) and they all cleared up. Some also had vomiting and diarrhea for a day, except for a few of the older frail ones, which we put on duck soup every 4 hours and SQ fluids as they needed them. We also have observed, in some of those with white fur around their eyes, a pink ring circling the eye.

Please keep in mind that not all ferrets will get all the symptoms, or the time span, from one day to one week. Much of it has to do with the immune system, so expect older ferrets, especially if they have a pre-existing condition, such as adrenal or insulinoma, to be harder hit. Keep a careful eye on your fuzzies. Even if you, personally, aren’t sick, people you work with, and especially children of school age, will undoubtedly be exposed and can transfer the germs to you, which, in turn, you can then transfer to the fuzzies.

In a nutshell: This is being passed human to ferret. If you have more than one fuzzy, they can then pass it to each other. Symptoms to watch carefully for are a cough/sniffle/sneeze, which can lead to pneumonia quickly in a ferret. Also, vomiting and diarrhea, which can dehydrate a fert in less than 24 hours. Worst case scenario is massive rapid dehydration and/or loss of back leg use, dark green/black sticky stools, indicating blood, or a croupy whooping type cough. These call for immediate emergency care from your vet, fluids for the dehydration and antibiotics (get a white count and x-ray) for the cough. Supportive care (fluids, duck soup, etc.) will be needed in all but very mild 24 hour cases.

PLEASE NOTE: Unless you are going to one of the vets on our referral list, be aware that many vets don’t know ferrets can get our flu’s, and even of those who do, frequently don’t dispense the proper protocol for supportive care for a ferret. That is why we constantly stress the importance of having a ferret knowledgeable vet, not just one who “see’s” ferrets. If you have questions regarding supportive care, please give us a call (651 -439-5209) and we’ll tell you what we do here at the shelter.

DON’T WAIT: Several ferrets died last year because their humans decided to “wait a few days” to see what would happen. When you are dealing with a little 1 1/2 pound critter who is sick, a few days may be a few too late. DON’T PANIC, but DO be aware of any changes in eating, drinking, stools, or symptoms like coughing, sneezing, runny noses, lethargy, etc., and jump on it right away. Supportive care certainly won’t hurt, even if they get over it on their own, and as always, better to be safe than sorry.

Ferreting Out the Good Treats

Most of the treats touted as “Ferret Treats” are just plain garbage. If they have pieces of dried vegetables, don’t even think it. Can we way, OBSTRUCTION? Then there are the dried fruits. Banana chips have sharp edges — chew one twice with your front teeth and then swallow — and dried apple bits rehydrate and come out the other end a whole lot bigger than they went in. Don’t overlook the neon colored balls, mostly sugar, and please avoid marshmellowy stuff. And, yes, this includes the nectar of the ferrets, raisins, with their high sugar content. Any kind of nuts, seeds, etc., are absolute no-no’s.

Now that I’ve eliminated most of the trash on the market, what’s left? What you WANT are treats that are primarily meat based. What you DON’T want are treats that are primarily grains and sugars, or anything you can’t chew with your front teeth. Ferrets have molars to chew with. Their teeth are made for ripping and chewing meat, their natural diet.

Ferrets are milk intolerant, so forget the yogurt treats, they can cause tummy upsets. Ferretone, diluted with olive oil, is good. Ferretvite has a lot of sugar. Cat treats that are meat based are good, especially the tarter control ones. For the record, they have the same basic ingredients as Ferretbites and Bonkers — you’re just paying twice as much because there’s a ferret picture on the box.

While we occasionally give our ruggies a (small) piece of mashed banana, watermelon, peeled, diced grape (avoiding seedy fruits like strawberries) and tiny minced pieces of cooked chicken or turkey their two primary treats are diluted Ferretone and duck soup/chicken gravy.

Why? No sugar and very little grain. There is also the added bonus — and it’s a BIG one — that if you can get your fuzzies hooked on duckie soup as a treat while they are healthy, if, at some point, they need it as a supplement, they’ll think it’s treat time. Add to that, if they should need to be on meds, the odds are good you can add it to their duck soup bowl (we spritz Ferretone on top of this mix) and it makes giving meds a breeze.

Pediapred Alert / Carafate Warning

Editor’s Note: We’ve had more than a few calls from people who got the adult version of prednisone rather than the pediatric one. This usually is a result of calling in for a refill and having some vet other than their own call in the Rx. We don’t use the adult version because a) it contains alcohol and b) it tastes nasty!

Be SURE to tell the prescribing vet you want the Pediapred or the generic version of Pediapred, which is cheaper. Double-check with the pharmacy when you pick it up — they usually won’t take it back.

Many of us are currently treating our ferrets with prednisolone for a variety of ailments, primarily insulinoma. Most bottles of pred that come from a pharmacy are clearly labeled “take with food and drink”. Please be aware that pred on an empty stomach can cause or contribute to an ulcer forming.

To prevent that possibility, all of our kids get at least two 12-cc syringes of duck soup before we give them their pred. If you don’t know for sure that your kid has just eaten before you administer pred to them, you should follow this procedure, just to be on the safe side.

Carafate / Antacid Warning

Some vets are using a combination of Carafate (sucralfate) and antacids (Cimetadine, Pepcid AC, etc.) for treating ulcers. Be aware that these drugs aren’t to be given together. Carafate is ALWAYS given on an empty stomach (usually 20 minutes before feeding or two hours after feeding). Cimetadine should only be given on a full stomach (45 minutes to an hour feeding). You need to be aware of this in case your vet forgets to tell you. The advantage to getting your prescriptions filled by a pharmacy (as opposed to getting them from your vet) is that they will be labeled as to how to use them the right way, i.e. take before meal, after food and drink, etc.

Personal Note: When I have a question regarding a drug, i.e. use, contra indications, etc, I call my pharmacist, not my doctor.

Email: luvfuzzies@aol.com