From:
hippo2B@aol.com
Date: 2001-03-01 03:50:00 UTC
Subject: Wheezing Ferret
To Dr. Williams and others:
I have written before about my 9 mo. old mf boy Squeak. For about a
month now
he has been wheezing. It comes and goes as to the severity of it.
But it is
most noticeable when he is out running around. He was suffering from
a cold,
runny nose, sneezing, etc., so we assumed it was related to that.
The vet
took the first x-rays about 17 days ago, she said they were fuzzy,
that the
area around the lungs should be more defined. This indicated a
bacterial or
fungal infection. We hoped for bacterial and she put him on cefa
drops for 14
days and said to bring him back in for a recheck. After 14 days the
cold
symptoms were gone but the wheezing never went away. More x-rays,
she said
they were a little better but still fuzzy, so more cefa for another
10 days,
she said hopefully the wheezing and coughing would stop.
Well, last night, (20 days from the start) he was wheezing the worst
he ever
has, the entire time he was out playing. He coughs in-between
wheezing, it
almost seems like something is suck in his throat. I am not sure
wheezing
accurately describes the sound (it reminds me of a condition rather
than a
sound ). He has plenty of spunk and this does not seem to slow him
down,
other than when he stops to cough. He has been eating normally,
drinking and
poops have been relatively normal. He does coughs a lot and they
sound like a
dry hack. He has also thrown up atleast 5 times since this all
started. ( the
only way I know this is because we just moved and I found evidence
under my
bed). This mostly accures when he is out. I have heard him coughing
in his
cage but the wheezing is not as evident unless he is begging. This
morning
when I got up and let him out he seemed just fine I didn't hear much
wheezing
or coughing, so I am wondering if this could be worse in the
evenings? (ahh,
so many questions)! I was going to take him to the vet this morning
but now
he looks fine, bright eyed and busy tailed, even when I pick him up
(usually
It makes the wheezing worse). So again I will bring him in and they
will not
hear anything!
To make matters worse we have just moved and on Monday night he got
into my
plastic plant and ate part of it along with some of the green sponge
that
holds up the flowers. So I have been ultra paranoid because of this,
giving
him ferret-lax 3xs per day. He passed some of the green sponge, and
has not
stopped eating or pooping. He looks good other than his wheezing and
coughing.
I am concerned the wheezing seems to be getting worse. How long do
antibiotics generally take to work, what should I expect. Does this
sound
like an infection or could it be fungal or some type of asthma? Can
ferrets
get asthma? He has only been wheezing for about 6 weeks. It seems
to come
and go as to the severity of it. I am thinking of ruling out
allergies
because we just moved, but I could be wrong there too.
Is there any other type of test we can do other than an x-ray to
determine
what the problem might be? And what does a fuzzy x-ray really mean?
Is there
any way to treat coughing?
Sorry for the long post, I am trying not to leave out any details in
hope
someone might have had a similar situation. I am very worried about
my baby,
I just want him to get better and it seems that nothing is working.
Thank you for any imput you can give!
Sincerely,
Very worried ferret Mom
Kelly
Squeak & Raider