From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-03-28 07:12:00 UTC
Subject: Please help
Dear Kelley:
The fact that you have multiple animals now affected with diarrhea
suggest more than a simple bacterial enteritis. There are a couple
of conditions that can affect mulitple animals in a household. The
first that I would think of in this case is ECE, or ferret
coronavirus. Please check http://www.afip.org/ferrets for more
current info on this disease, and direct your vet to the following
article: : Williams BH, Kiupel M, West KH, Raymond JT, Grant CK,
Glickman LT:
Coronavirus-associated epizootic catarrhal enteritis in ferrets. J
Am Vet Med Assoc. 2000 Aug 15;217(4):526-30. The diarrhea associated
with coronavirus infection is often mucousy, but may vary in color
(it has most often been characterized as green, but can be any
color.) A history of a recent introduction of a ferret into a
household within 72 hours of the first animal getting sick, or a trip
to a ferret show or pet store is often associated with this disease.
Coccidiosis, an intestinal parasite, may also cause diarrhea in
multiple animals, and a fecal test on the affected animals would be
advisable in this case.
These are not the only causes of diarrhea in ferrets, but the first
two that should be considered when multiple animals are affected.
Amoxicillin, flagyl, and Pepto-Bismol is commonly used to treat
Helicobacter, a bacterial infection of the stomach of older ferrets,
but would not be my first choice in this particular scenario.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
----- Original Message -----
From: "xzaviarsbaby" <xzaviarsbaby@y...>
To: <williamsb@c...>
Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2002 2:06 AM
> I have 5 ferrets. One of them has a bacterial infection in her
> intestines. She has been on amoxicillin, flagyl and pepto-bismol
> for 7 days now and is showing no signs of improvement. Now, it
> looks as if 2 of my others are showing signs of the same thing.
> When the one went to the vet, she was vomiting and had yellowish,
> mucuosy diarrhea. The others aren't vomiting, but they have
> diarrhea, but it's not mucousy or yellow.
> Do you possible have any suggestions?
> I would greatly appreciate anything you could tell me. I love my
> ferrets like family members, and it would kill me to see anything
> happen to them. And the vets here, aren't really informed on
ferret
> medicine.
> Thank you very much.
> Kelley Nelson
>