From:
ferrethealer@aol.com
Date: 2002-01-29 17:45:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Digest Number 581
In a message dated 01/29/02 7:57:07 AM Eastern Standard Time,
Ferret-Health-list@yahoogroups.com writes:
I know of a woman that has recently had a ferret put down. He was
coughing
hoarsely. He was put on all sorts of antibiotics as they were
sure he had
bacterial pneumonia. They did an x-ray of his lungs. They were
hideous.
The vet commented that they looked like the lungs of a human with
emphysema.
His breathing became more laboured. She tried all sorts of
different
things, but found the most humane thing to do was to put him down.
He was
three years old. She had a full PM done on him. Upon opening the
lungs,
the vet said the ferret had emphysema. The owner is a smoker.
Has anybody
else seen this?
I have not yet seen this in ferrets, but I have seen it in both dogs
and cats. I also had a dog patient with primary lung cancer
(relatively uncommon in dogs). His owners were heavy smokers. It
makes sense to me that it could happen in ferrets as well.
Dr. Ruth
*****************************************
Save lives - spay or neuter your pet.