From:
deborah3322@yahoo.com
Date: 2004-09-02 13:02:42 UTC
Subject: RE: Stinky
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <18291494.1094132463605.JavaMail.nobody@magnesium.smartgroups.com>
Hi Alma!
I'm sorry to hear that your buddy is under the weather. The two tatoos on the ear
mean that your ferret is a Marshall Farms ferret, not that it has been vaccinated. It
is very important that you get your ferret vaccinated, with the dogs and cats around
as well as the fact that your daughter works in a shelter. This makes the risk for
Distemper very high in your household. The vaccine will be a series of two or three
vaccines initially and then an annual booster.
Unfortunately vaccines cost money, so you should either a. try and find another vet
(something I can probably help you with) and b. set up a payment plan with your vet
to get this taken care of. If you are up front about finances almost any vet will be
willing to help out.
Dark stools or black tarry stools for that matter can sometimes mean the presence
of digested blood, not necessarily a good sign and something that should be
checked out. The symptoms that you have listed are the sypmtoms of distemper
(I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOUR FERRET HAS DISTEMPER) Just that it has similar signs
from you post. Discharge from the nose and eyes, fever, loss of appetite, upper
respitory tract infection and listlessness are all listed as signs of distemper.
Because you have other animals in the home it would be a good idea to get this
check on. Please take your ferret to the vet, if you don't catch something early on, it
may end up being more costly in the long run.
Email me off list if you would like further help on getting in contact with a more
ferret knowledgable vet,
Take it from someone that used to work with a NON-ferret knowledgeable vet, I
think he could have helped more ferrets that were sick if he knew a little more about
the species.
Sorry for the depressing post, I just want you to know all your options.
Deborah-Razor and Elizabeth