From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-06-20 18:49:21 UTC
Subject: RE: more virulent cause for ulcers? many in trouble!
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <8272669.1119293361024.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Nanci, when you say that they are "pooping...blood" due you mean balck blood as in digested blood which is what is seen with ulcers or is this frank blood which is red or reddish?
If it is frank blood then the infection that they are sharing is more likely in the colon, if this is an infection and not something else like a food poisoning (another possibility).
Right now until you know more I would not let ferrets in or out of your shelter.
If this is frank blood there are several possibilities, but what this description somewhat reminds me of is a coccidia variant that existed on Long Island, upstate NY, and some place else (I forget where but a number of lesser things that people wound up reporting, too.) where a specific shipment of ferrets from one LI location went. That has to be about 10 years ago, maybe more. What had to be done was those places shut their doors to any ferrets in or out and pathology work was done. These turned out to show a coccidia variant that was having blooms all at once. So, all of the animals (not just the sick ones) were treated for coccidia and that plus the quarantine till the animals were known to be well was successful in stopping the spread. In that case, there were a number of ferrets who did not get the infection but all of the ones who did died.
ISOLATE ALL, AND DO PATHOLOGY ON ALL OF THE ONES WITH THE SIGNS!