From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2002-09-22 16:49:16 UTC
Subject: Re: loud coughs
To: shen10@crocker.com, ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <p05111701b9b3a17a0890@[10.0.1.15]>
Influenza season has begun, as one of our moderators can attest,
though it's not common, yet. Ferrets do catch influenza, so this is
certainly a possibility. If it is this then watch out for problems
like secondary bacterial infections, high fever, dehydration,
refusing to eat, etc.
We're personally prone to doing chest x-rays pretty well consistently
when ferrets start coughing (except when there is just a rare bout of
one or two small coughs). We had one who seemed otherwise alright
but began a small cough one and that was unlike her, yet she
continued to seem fine even on examination, but when chest x-rays
were done she was so opaque in her thoracic cavity that antibiotics
were begun right right away and she had to have an ultrasound the
next day. She had pneumonia and plurosy, but they couldn't even be
heard with stethoscope, nad had not shown up as causing any
noticeable change in her except that small cough.
We've also encountered coughing with cardiomyopathy, something we've
had four ferrets have, and treating that rapidly makes a great
difference in both quality and quantity of life. There is a lot of
info on this and on links for more in a compilation within the Files
section at the Ferrethealth website.
If the cause is from ascites or edema there are also some less common
possible causes. Depending on the ferret it may pay to do a CBC
with blood chemistry, or to pull a node for biopsy.