From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-12-27 21:53:49 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Possibly Sick Ferret - need advice
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Human colds are caused by a rhinovirus which ferrets do NOT get.
That is one reason why they can't be used in research on the human
cold or on cold meds.
They DO share some more serious infections. For instance, they
can get bacterial sinus infections which is why antibiotics help
those ferrets; bacteria respond to antibiotics. Luckily, they seem
more resistant to these than they are to influenza from our
experience, but I have traded an antibiotic resistant one back and
forth with a compromised ferret we had years ago.
They certainly share avian influenza, usually as a reverse zoonotic,
i.e. an infection passed from human to ferret rather than vice versa.
Then there are the more serious respiratory infections.
To learn more about ferrets not getting colds I recommend these
past posts from Dr. Bruce Williams who is one of the world's top
ferret veterinary pathology experts:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG10945
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG4054
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG4053
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG2137
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, Michelle Campbell <cjandjoshfan@...> wrote:
>
> I described the symptoms to my vet this morning. She
> is concerned enough to fit him in later today. I
> appreciate the advice very much. My husband tells me
> I'm too sensitive to any changes in the ferrets, but
> in this situation, I think it is probably better to be
> safe than sorry. I will happily pay for a vet visit
> and xrays if necessary to make sure my little Zo is
> ok. I'll post again later once we have a diagnosis.
> With any luck, it's something simple like a cold!
>
> Thanks again!
> Michelle
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