From:
"asmodeusazarak"
Date: 2009-11-04 16:05:51 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] ferrets and swine flu
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I'm not a vet, but I have read before that ferrets can catch influenza from their owners, and I wanted to report to the list that I've seen it happen with the current strain of swine flu. I've kept ferrets for many years, and I've never before seen any sign they caught a cold or flu I had, but recently my girlfriend and I both had the swine flu. One of our babies then suddenly came down with severe respiratory issues, lethargy, and lost weight. After about a week the other ferret caught it too (I think he caught it from the first ferret because we had been feeling better for a while before he came down with it).
The good news is the first ferret to catch it seems to be recovering, so I am guardedly expecting the other ferret will also pull through after a little time and rest. I've been using the Marshal respiratory aid product, it seems to help though they don't like it, and supplementing their food with ferre-vite.
My vet didn't have openings in a timely enough manner, and they haven't gotten sick enough to warrant an emergency animal hospital visit, so I've just been monitoring them, but I'm 100% confident they caught the swine flu from us. I've never heard a ferret sneeze and cough like this before, and it started just under a week after we humans got it.
I'd just like to remind everyone if you have the flu, try not to handle your babies, and if you must handle them, their food, or their cages be sure to clean up real well right beforehand. Also remember the flu is contagious for at least a few days after symptoms subside.
It looks like healthy ferrets should be alright but should be monitored (our ferrets didn't seem as sick as we were) however older or health compromised ferrets could be a very different matter.
My best to everyone and their fuzzys,
Az
[Moderator:
Luckily, ferrets do not get rhinoviruses so they do not
get colds, but they CAN get swine flu (H1N1) and can
get seasonal Influenza A types from humans, with the
aerosol route (coughing and sneezing) looking like the
biggest culprits for swine flu transmission in studies.
They also can catch bacterial sinus infections from
humans.
So, when they get a respiratory problem it has the
potential to get worse than the usually human one
does since for humans it is often only colds but for
ferrets the possible causes (these and others) are more
serious, though less common than colds among us.
Monitor carefully because pneumonia is often hidden
in ferrets until it becomes extreme.]
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