From:
Pam Sessoms
Date: 2002-08-10 20:22:15 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] HELP- allergies?
To: lainiebug19@yahoo.com
cc: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <Pine.A41.4.44+UNC.0208101615360.25962-100000@login3.isis.unc.edu>
> Shaggy sometimes has episodes of loud, VIOLENT sneezing.
> It almost sounds like he's screaming. And sometimes he
> sneezes so hard he falls off of things or bonks his head
Poor Shaggy! I have had a ferret with this kind of violent, horrible
sneezing. Nana's story is long and you may have found it in the archives,
but long story short, she had bizzaro complications after a left adrenal
surgery, and this violent sneezing was one of the stranger things that
eventually happened. My vet put a small endoscope up her nose and found
large amounts of *scabbing*. We never did find out why, but she did have
some skin damage and peeling elsewhere on her body; maybe it was related.
My vet managed to remove a good bit of the scabbing at the same time as
she scoped her. We wound up giving her moisturizing eye and nose drops to
keep things moist, and she eventually sneezed everything out. I also kept
her in a room with a warm steam humidifier. Benadryl did not help her at
all.
At the time, I did some asking, and the Number One Most Likely cause was a
foreign object up the nose. Something like a hair, or a grass seed, etc.
Allergies were also mentioned. Also, sinus infection. I suspect that the
odd, rare tumor growing up there could also cause it. I think I have also
read of ferrets with ADV having the "screaming sneezes," but that's just a
random memory, not something to really take to the bank (although of
course an adv test can't hurt). It really is a helpless feeling, when you
can't do much of anything for them and they're sneezing so violently. I
would hold Nana for the longest times, just to keep her from slamming her
head into the floor during these fits. :(
Anyway, I guess I'm taking a long time to suggest having your vet sedate
her and take a good look up there, if they have an endoscope that small.
Maybe if they don't, they can refer you. If something is up there, maybe
it can be removed, or swabs/samples can be taken and examined to see what
may be going on... Also, with the worsening diarrhea, maybe fecal samples
and a CBC/chemistry panel if it has not been done yet. Sounds like there
may be a lot going on with this guy.
Please keep the list updated; I for one am interested to hear what
happens.
Best wishes,
-Pam S.