From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2009-03-08 14:08:23 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] respiratory, something that has been brought to my attention
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Now, obviously, most people here know already that ferrets get
bacterial sinus infections and get influenza, and can share these
infections with humans, also that if mild these infections can be
mistaken by humans for colds. Also most people here know that the
reason research into cold treatments is NOT done in ferrets -- even
though other respiratory research is -- is because ferret don't get
colds. Also most here will have already read posts from one of the
world's best ferret veterinary pathology experts, Dr. Bruce Williams
on this. For a few examples:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG4053
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG4054
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG10945
This is new:
Vet Rx: A list member has pointed out that this smells the same to
her as Vicks Vaporub. If it has similar ingredients to Vicks then it
might NOT be safe for ferrets and probably should be checked on that
score since recent research has shown that Vicks actually worsens
congestion and makes a ferret less able to break it up. That was all
over the news, of course, so all of you have probably read about
that. The study abstract may be new to some of you:
> Chest. 2009 Jan;135(1):143-8
> Vicks VapoRub induces mucin secretion, decreases ciliary beat
> frequency, and increases tracheal mucus transport in the ferret
> trachea.
>
> Abanses JC, Arima S, Rubin BK.
> Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine,
> Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1081, USA.
>
> BACKGROUND: Vicks VapoRub (VVR) [Proctor and Gamble; Cincinnati, OH]
> is often used to relieve symptoms of chest congestion. We cared for
> a toddler in whom severe respiratory distress developed after VVR
> was applied directly under her nose. We hypothesized that VVR
> induced inflammation and adversely affected mucociliary function,
> and tested this hypothesis in an animal model of airway
> inflammation. METHODS: [1] Trachea specimens excised from 15 healthy
> ferrets were incubated in culture plates lined with 200 mg of VVR,
> and the mucin secretion was compared to those from controls without
> VVR. Tracheal mucociliary transport velocity (MCTV) was measured by
> timing the movement of 4 microL of mucus across the trachea. Ciliary
> beat frequency (CBF) was measured using video microscopy. [2]
> Anesthetized and intubated ferrets inhaled a placebo or VVR that was
> placed at the proximal end of the endotracheal tube. We evaluated
> both healthy ferrets and animals in which we first induced tracheal
> inflammation with bacterial endotoxin (a lipopolysaccharide [LPS]).
> Mucin secretion was measured using an enzyme-linked lectin assay,
> and lung water was measured by wet/dry weight ratios. RESULTS: [1]
> Mucin secretion was increased by 63% over the controls in the VVR in
> vitro group (p < 0.01). CBF was decreased by 35% (p < 0.05) in the
> VVR group. [2] Neither LPS nor VVR increased lung water, but LPS
> decreased MCTV in both normal airways (31%) and VVR-exposed airways
> (30%; p = 0.03), and VVR increased MCTV by 34% in LPS-inflamed
> airways (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: VVR stimulates mucin secretion and
> MCTV in the LPS-inflamed ferret airway. This set of findings is
> similar to the acute inflammatory stimulation observed with exposure
> to irritants, and may lead to mucus obstruction of small airways and
> increased nasal resistance.
> PMID: 19136404
So, basically, it is something that can pose a real risk to ferrets if
inhaled, especially if they already have a respiratory infection or
are trying to fight one off. In some press stories it was said that
small body size may play a part in this being a poor choice for
ferrets and for human infants and toddlers.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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