From:
"Jeff"
Date: 2008-07-31 16:28:57 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] ferret advice
To: <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Once upon a time I believed that ferrets were hearty animals that never got sick and rarely needed vet care. I have learned over the last couple of years that nothing is further from the truth. If you do love your ferrets as you say you do, then you owe it to them to learn more about what illnesses or diseases they are most susceptible to, and you owe it to them to provide veterinary care with a ferret-knowledgeable vet when things happen that you don't understand. Joining this health list was a wise step in that direction, and I hope you'll continue to spend more time learning how to best care for your ferrets.
Sukie offered lots of great advice in her response, so I'll just add some links that you should read initially related to Adrenal Disease and Insulinoma, because chances are that you are either already dealing with these problems, or that you will be in the near future.
Some places to start learning about Adrenal Disease:
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/adrenal.htm
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/aae.html
And insulinoma:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/PDF/insulinoma.pdf
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/treatment.htm
Also, I hope you'll check the links that Sukie provided for finding ferret-knowledgeable vets. They can make all the difference in helping to keep your ferrets healthy, and they can be worth every dime that you pay to them. They know what tests may or may not be needed in a given situation. We have just added our fifth ferret, but even with two working parents in this family, we still find it hard sometimes to afford the costs associated with ferret ownership and care. We do it, of course, and never hesitate to take them to the vet when needed, or for annual exams. But you must understand that ferrets are, in fact, fairly fragile, prone to several illnesses, and also prone to a number of bumps, bruises, and breaks due to their curious and adventurous nature. You need to budget for vet care, good food, medicine, parasite protection, etc. That's what being a good ferret parent is. And it does sound like you really want to be one.
Best of luck,
Jeff
In Memory of Neo
Caring for Trinny, Morphy, Baby Girl, Luna, and Dozer
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