From:
"boo rat"
Date: 2007-02-21 15:51:19 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] ear infection - pine allergy?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
i have a three year old female ferret named caffeine. yesterday, i
noticed her ears looking a bit dirty, so i cleaned her ears as i
normally do with Refresh brand ferret ear wash, cotton balls and
cotton swabs. today, her ears look as if i never touched them. one
is so clogged with black wax i'm afraid to put a cotton swab near it
for fear of pushing the wax further in. they are also red and
inflamed, and she obviously did not want me poking in them. they
don't have a terrible odor, just ferrety ear-y. otherwise,
activity, eating and poos are normal.
i have three possible theories for this:
ear mites? she lives with three other ferrets who show no signs,
but always a possibility.
bacterial infection? about six weeks ago, we introduced two new
ferrets to our home, and caffeine stressed herself out so much that
i had to take her to the vet, who prescribed bene-bac and an
antibacterial medicine to balance out her system. she was not
eating and had horrible green poos, but the medication helped.
anyway, she may still be a little unbalanced or more sensitive to
infections than the others.
pine allergy? on saturday, i started using a new brand of wood
stove pellets as litter. they smell a bit more "woody" than my
previous brand. i've been searching for pine allergies in ferrets
on the web with little success. could they contain pine and cause
an allergic reation in her? can an allergic reaction manifest
itself as an ear infection/ problem? the sites that i read said
pine allergies would cause itchiness and respiratory problems.
also, a little history on caffeine - i unknowingly bought a toy for
my ferrets that contained catnip, and she had a reaction to that
(green discharge from her eyes) until i figured it was the toy and
removed it.
has anyone encountered any problems like this with pine litter? i
plan to remove this litter immediately in case it is the cause, but
would appreciate anyone input on the situation, as well as the best
way to care for her ears at this point.
thank you,
christi - aka boo rat
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