From:
sukieferret
Date: 2002-01-05 21:31:00 UTC
Subject: Re: interesting question
You say that it was an acute problem --sudden, severe but of very short duration?
When we had ECE here it lasted 3 terrible months.
Is it possible that the ones getting the dry food got bad batch of food or bad water? Ferrets canbe careful and refuse things, but sometimes they don't spot a problem beforehand.
Are the two groups separate to any degree? If it was a mildly infectious but strongly acting disease then if the others could not get into direct contact with the feces perhaps they would not have gotten it. Meanwhile, a diet that is easy to digest will also reduce many intestinal symptoms just by being gentle which is why many with such illnesses are taken off kibble for a while.
ECE just doesn't last only a day or two. On the other hand, as was already pointed out: older ones will sometimes have already developed immunity due to past infection, and many young have an easy time with ECE. What was the disease like in those who had a hard time of it: symptoms, duration, etc.?
Were any fecal tests run? Any other tests? Results, if so?
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "JANICE GONZALES" <jg2554@m...> wrote:
> I foster ferrets in my home. With mine and the fosters I have 25. I did have 27. After reading for the past couple of days about ECE and IBS I must ask this question. A couple of months ago I took in four new fosters and two had what seems to be the same as what every one has been describing. Green loose, seedy sometimes foamy orange stools. Within 24 to 48 hours everyone of the ferrets came down with the same thing. Most had a problem for only a day or two and are doing fine now. I lost two who were old and had other health problems. I had and still do have 7 ferrets on wet food. All are older, one is 10 years old and one has Lymphosarcoma and another is blind. All of them have been on wet food or duck soup for some time. None of the 7 ferrets came down with this. Why didn't these ferrets who were on the wet food get sick. The wet food is made with ground Totally Ferret, whipping cream, a can of 8 in One chicken, two egg yolks and water. The Totally Ferret is the same food given to all the ferrets. Is there something in the wet food that kept my 7 ferrets from getting this. I will say that all the ferrets are doing great now. I did have to force feed two of the sick ones for about a week and one of the two had to be medicated with Prednisone. He is doing very well now to.
>
> Jan, the ferret Mom of many.