Message Number: FHL11479 | New FHL Archives Search
From: John Lewington
Date: 2010-05-05 14:50:09 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re:ferret cryptococcosis
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com

Hi all,
My experience with Cryptococcosis is shown in my book
'Ferret Husbandry, Medicine and Surgery'
with my own ferrets.
It is a very dangerous and invasive fungal infection
especially to lungs and brain.
The drug of choice is Itraconazole(ITZ) with capsules of
100 mg. Drugs for treatment are high cost
however. Suggested dose of 1/4 capsule daily. I think
some US vets have had experience with this drug.
I have used ketoconazole(KTZ) which comes as Nizoral 200
mg tabs. Dose is 1/4 tab daily.
can be toxic to liver over long period but with
my present ferret I used 1/4 tablet twice daily for the first few days
and then 1/4 tablet every other day for few days. Then
keeping the drug going but increasing the days
between medications.This was done over a long period with
giving some breaks
in dosage. It takes time!
I had found in a clinical paper on line that KTZ was not
as toxic as first thought, at least in humans.
I just took the plunge and used it over a period.
Incidently the 1/4 tablet is best given ground up in
cream. I found this
the only way to get the powdered tablet into the ferret
which loves cream. I don't know how this would
work with any ferret that might also have developed Insulinoma!
I also used 0.5 ml Dexamethasone sub cut for my ferret
every four days to reduce the inflamatory
effects of the disease especially in the lungs.
The condition is I hope cured and at the present time my
ferret is okay.
When I stopped the KTZ there was some relapses physically
but a shot of Dex sub cut brought him out of it.
To really do a clinical trial on the treatment one would
need to have a number of infected ferrets
to work on but this of course is not possible outside a
laboratory situation.
Regards
Dr John H Lewington
Author "Ferret Husbandry, Medicine and
Surgery." Elsevier UK /USA Eds 2000 &2007



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