From:
Russell Prater
Date: 2001-09-22 12:13:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] ECE ?
thayneg@u... wrote:
>
> I think from all I've read my Tr has ece. I read Dr. Williams article
> on the www.afip.com site, but he won't eat. He drinks alot of water.
> Anyone have any suggestions?? I've tried the Chicken baby food I
> think he said yuck. Thanks, Carol
I have some data that I collected from Booger's ECE and Dr. Purcell's
book.
--
Russ, Booger, Bonnie & Clyde
russellprater@w...
URA Redneck if you've ever done your Xmas shopping at a truck stop.
Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis is an infection caused by a coronavirus.
It usually begins about 2 days after exposure with a little vomiting
followed by voluminous quantities of neon green diarrhea. The disease
has a low mortality if treatment is begun immediately and persued
vigorously. The treatment below is a combination of that suggested
by Dr. Karen Purcell and what my vet and I worked out when Booger
had it.
Loperamide, (Immodium Liquid, OTC), 1 ml every 12 hours for diarhea.
Kao-pectate, (OTC), 1 to 2 ml every 12 to 24 hours. For diarrhea.
(you'd probably do better to just forget this and use the Carafate)
Pepcid AC, (Famotidine, OTC), Crush and disolve one 10 mg tablet in
10 ml of water. Give .25-.5 ml twice a day to prevent acid build up
and ulcers.
Carafate, (Sucrafate, Rx), .5 to 1.25 ml suspension every 6-8 hours
to coat and soothe the stomach and intestines.
Amoxicillin (Rx) .5 ml twice daily for secondary infections.
Pediapred, (Prednosolone, Rx), .1 to .5 mg/kg every 12-24 hours to
fight inflamation of the intestines and improve appetite.
Your ferret may quit eating and drinking. If so, you will have to give
fluids (Pedialyte, OTC) and food by syringe in the corner of the mouth.
Many owners mix up what is called "Duck Soup" and there is a recipe in
the ECE FAQ on www.ferretcentral.org. My vet gave me CliniCare, a
liquid diet for sick cats and Booger liked it. Dr. Purcell recommends
Hill's A/D.
ECE has a very low fatality rate in young, otherwise healthy, ferrets,
but is really rough on the elderly or ill ferret and may take months to
recover or may die. Be sure to read the ECE FAQ at
http://www.ferretcentral.org and there is some info on it at
http://www.miamiferret.org, too. Kim Schilling's book "Ferrets for
Dummies" has a good section on it.