Message Number: FHL13950 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Sukie Crandall
Date: 2011-09-06 16:32:23 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Ferrets with Exploding Eyeballs?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com

Since the FHL does not get into "political" things, which is good because it lets the list stay on topic, I'll just address two medical points:

1. There are a number of eye illnesses and infections. Some eye ills have genetic propensities, for example, untreated glaucoma (which is a problem that can run in families in ferrets just like in people) can can the eyeball to rupture. If their lines were prone to glaucoma and if actual ruptures happened that might be the answer.

That is not the only possible answer. Here is another of the possibilities: One of our early ferrets used to need trips hours away to a veterinary ophthalmologist. As you know, in ferret mating the males hold the females in a scruff grab. Well, before she joined out family one overly enthusiastic male missed and put a canine into her eye instead. That is how she wound up coming to us as a retired breeder. If they were not careful about breeding situations they might have had ferrets with this problem who did not get needed care.

Another possibility is that what was seen was not infection but the swelling of the third eyelid from lymphoma.

There are other causes which may have been present.

2. If you read past posts from Florida in the FHL archives you will notice ferrets -- who were not doing well but often surviving when outside -- in the kinds of temperatures you mention. They had become acclimated to the heat but the high temps were still incredibly hard on them. Usually, people there instead keep them in a/c but not as cool as in cooler areas of the country, but like anywhere else abuses do happen and sometimes people can learn from those situations, too.

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.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html

"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)


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