From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2004-12-30 19:15:50 UTC
Subject: RE: Remedies for cold sympoms ?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1971348.1104434150636.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Colds are caused by rhinoviruses and ferrets do not get rhinoviruses. So, even though people may use the word indiscriminantly it makes a difference. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics and true colds don't tend to lead to worse infections in humans.
Bacterial infections are a different matter.
They DO get bacterial sinus infections from humans and these can look like a cold and can move lower down the respiratory tract and become serious. Bacterial infections DO respond to antibiotics.
Especially at this time of the year don't discount the possibility that they both could have influenza. Ferrets get Influenza A strains. Luckily, they usually get through influenza fine but some get secondary infections which need vet help.
Allergies also can produce nasal symptoms as can a few other things, but with your husband having bronchitis do take it seriously that the ferret is sharing the infection.
BTW, a ferret with a bacterial respiratory infection or influenza caught from a human can in turn pass it to a human.
Yes, I would call today and make an appointment with the vet. Respiratory infections all too often can be worse in ferrets than they seem. We had one with a little cough who sounded okay to the vet, but the cough was so unusual for her that we have her x-rayed. She turned out to have both pneumonia and pleuresy, so was immediately placed on multiple medications and ultrasounded the next day as well.
Wash hands a LOT with that in your house.
BTW, certain humans are simply more likely to release a lot of fine mist droplets when sneezing or coughing. There was a news report on this several months ago; it's simply a difference that the few who do so can't help. In the study:
>After the volunteers inhaled a salt spray via the nebulizer for six
>minutes, those prone to producing the most droplets saw a reduction of
>as much as 70 percent, the researchers said.
so this may be a way in the future that the sharing of some respiratory infections with any species can be reduced.