From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-05-10 19:13:45 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Please read this everyone!! Need ferret help quick!!!
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Are you used to ferrets? I ask because people
who are not used to ferrets have confused war
dances with convulsions, and have been
confused by the type of gentle times-out
training so mistake very forward wrestle-play
behavior with a problem.
Is it the VET who thinks that destroying this
kit is a viable option, or is that you? Did the
vet actually volunteer that things are so back
that option needs to be considered?
As described, if you are used to ferrets, that
could be pain related or could be neural.
First general questions:
Specifically which tests were down and what
were the results (with all results entered,
please)? NOt all blood tests test for al things.
Far from it.
What vaccines has this ferret had and when?
How much of the kit series for canine distemper
was done?
Was there also a dental check and a throat check?
Are things still improving?
Could you describe the symptoms in greater detail?
Now, some things that can cause neural symptoms.
Since it sounds like things might be improving I'd
wonder about a possible accidental poisoning
incident and if that was the cause you don't want it
repeat so you need to figure out what the ferret
could access.
Has the kit received timely vaccinations with the
right canine distemper vaccines? I have seen a dog
go overnight from a darling to becoming dangerous
from that. It was a friend's rescued hound from a
pound about 37 years ago and apparently the dog
caught the illness in the pound because the first
thing my friend did after adoption was to have a vet
exam and vaccines, but if the dog had already been
infected it was too late.
Meningitis can happen. Aleutian Disease (AD or ADV
when you tack virus on the end) can at times set up in
the brain. Toxoplasmosis and some other parasites
can sometimes set up in the brain.
There are other possibilities.
I recall even hearing of a ferret decades ago who had
such severe secondary infection from untreated ear
mites that the infection ate into the brain cavity. Now,
that is luckily something which won't be encountered
each day, but the ferret did have the behavior
suddenly change similarly to how it did in that hound
with CDV.
There is a ***small*** chance of possible
consideration of rabies but we are talking about a
very, very, very, very, very, very small chance. Most
years in the U.S. there are absolutely no cases of rabies
in ferrets nationwide. The chances that is involved are
incredibly low but the disease itself is so serious that
I will direct you some expert sources of information
and brief description about the disease which, as usual,
is not to serve as a replacement for the information on
the expert sites recommended:
Professional information:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/professional/professi.htm
CDC Q&A on ferrets, dogs, and cats in relation to rabies:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/Ques&Ans/q&a.htm
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians:
the latest Compendium of Animal Rabies Control and Prevention
is in documents:
http://www.nasphv.org
The rabies section here has useful data:
http://www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/3035/bushmeat/bush4.html
What happens with that disease is that it works its way up nerves
to the brain. What causes the behavioral changes is the disease
multiplying in the brain. To date there are no known cases of
rabies in a ferret being transmitted to a human. There is a
hypothetical chance that it could happen, though, even though
they tend to die before viable virus can work its way back down
from the brain.
Do I think that it si likely that you are seeing rabies? No, I don't
think that is likely at all, but sometimes even weird things can
happen.
Do I think that it is possible that you are seeing a neural disease?
If your VET thinks that this is kit who needs to be put down,
instead of you jumping to that conclusion then I'd sure discuss
the various neural possibilities with the vet.
Your post is a hard one to read because I can't tell how much
you know or don't know ferrets, how serious the vet thinks the
problem is, if you are seeing a disease related behavior set, a
dental problem related behavior set, or just a kit acting weird
temporarily, as any child of any species will do, especially if
the individual is one who tantrums. The behaviors could also
be explained if some types of physical punishments have taken
place, and I don't think that I need to say at this point that such
punishments should not be engaged in.
If the vet considers the ferret healthy and if you are not a ferret
experienced person then one thing to consider is to have time
with a rehabber or rescuer who is used to ferrets to get a better
grasp of gentle training.
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "pmlockhart" <plockhart@...> wrote:
>
> I'm having a serious problem with my 3 month old ferret. The vets
> are stumped. The next step is to put him down.
> Here are his symptoms:
> within a 1.5 - 2 hr period this all took place - I noticed he was
> just sanding in his cage and not walking around, so I picked him up
> and put him on my bed and he still wouldn't walk around. Then I
> noticed there was dried saliva under his chin, so I thought i'd give
> him a bath to see it that would perk him up. After the bath I
> wrapped him in a towel............he wouldn't get out of the towel,
> he'd just lay there. After i dried him off , I put him back into
> his cage and where ever I put him he'd stay. I left the room for a
> bit, and when I came back in, he was showing some aggressive
> behaviour, hissing and lunging, and he would scream. I also noticed
> he had long strings of saliva handing from his mouth. I then took
> him into the vets. They ran some blood tests. His sugar level was
> in the normal range, there where no toxins found, everything seemed
> to be normal. No pain, nothing at all that would explain his
> behaviour. I ended up bring him home, and now, today, he is
> walking around but is still having scared tendencies, almost like
> he's halusinating, he is also eating and drinking normally again,
> but now he's also eating his own stool. So now there's that plus
> his ongoing signs of scared aggession. Can anyone help me?
>
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