From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2006-03-29 23:43:04 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Fits of something between coughing and choking
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Hi, everyone,
Chin Soon is a two and a half year old spayed female
ferret. She has fits of something that sounds like
something halfway between coughing and choking, a
really nasty hacking sound. Lately these have gotten
more frequent, as in once or twice daily. These
episodes always happen when she is at rest, not when
she is running around like a little hellion. I pick
her up and pat her back, kind of like burping a baby,
and it usually stops quickly.
Chin Soon's original vet (now retired) attributed
these attacks to a partially collapsed trachea and
said that if they get worse or if she has difficulty
breathing to bring her back. That was in the summer
of 2004. Since they have become more frequent so Chin
Soon went to the vet today.
Her current vet disagrees with the earlier diagnosis.
She says the pat on the back would make a collapsed
trachea worse, not better, and the fact that it only
happens at rest isn't consistent with a collapsed
trachea either. She said a radiograph can often be
deceiving when diagnosing something like this.
She mentioned a procedure, the name of which escapes
me at the moment, which is the equivalent of a real
time X-ray, which could give a definitive diagnosis.
I would have to take Chin Soon to Madison for that.
She is only going to recommend that if things get any
worse. Her guess is a birth defect of some sort,
possibly something malformed around her larynx. She
also said there is a vet in Florida who does
microsurgery in cases like this and if it becomes
severe that is where she would send me with Chin Soon.
It sounds like Chin Soon could become one expensive
little weasel if things do get worse.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Any
additional ideas or suggestions?
Thanks in advance,
Caity and the fearsome foursome
(Chin Soon, Zephyr, Ella, and Nyssa)
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