From:
dwall@harbormortgage.com
Date: 2003-10-27 00:22:48 UTC
Subject: Pneumonia Home Care Suggestions
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <8309724.1067214168141.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
I have a male ferret about 3.5 years old who starting coughing 4 days ago. I brought him to the vet and he has been prescribed 0.5 ml Baytril 2x daily. He has been on it since yesterday and his breathing is progressively worsend. I have a warm mist vaporizer a safe distance from his cage, have removed any fuzzy type items and replaced his bedding with other clean cozy non-fuzzy bedding. I have washed everything in his cage and I'm using hand shredded newspaper in his litter box. I'm making myself crazy trying to do anything and everything possible to make him more comfortable. Out of all my other ferrets he is the one who has never ever beeen sick.
He has been on ferret soup which up until today he was taking readily. We have taken two steamy bathroom sessions with me comforting him today. I searched the archives and went out and got the orange triamic (for cold and allergy not the chest congestion) and gave him one drop with ferretone. I'm not sure if I am more concerned when I hear the awful coughing or whether I'm more concerned when he's not coughing. Now he absolutely refuses the Baytril and I want to be so careful not to have him aspirate it that I didn't get much food or medicine in him tonight.
What else should I be asking for besides the obvious chest x-ray, when I bring him back to the vet tomorrow morning (monday!)Assuming he just has a bad case of pneumonia, what suggestions does anyone have?
Thank you!
Diane Wall
Ferret Mom of 6 (but no experience with pneuomia!)