Congrats BIG (and Chris if you still read the FML) by moderating the FML
through 3000 issues.  What an achievement.
 
>BTW, although asthma in ferrets is rare (though it can happen, and the
>late Ruffle had it among others) there's some new work out from U. VA on
>lung pH and asthma attacks which will likely be followed up since it may
>startlingly alter the treatment possibilities in the future.
 
A friend had two ferrets with asthma.  The first ferret lived a normal life
with treatments of theodore (sp?) as required.  The diagnosis was confirmed
with x-rays.
 
The second ferret would suddenly turn blue and couldn't breathe.  The owner
found that if she gave a few puffs of air through the nose, the ferret
would be able to breathe again.  The vet prescribed several treatments that
seemed to work at first but the ferret would relapse.  The most promising
treatment was the use of an oxygen tent.  But when even that failed, the
owner and vet decided that surgery was the only option left.
 
Tragically, the otherwise healthy ferret died during an attack the next day
while at the vets office.  On necropsy, the asthma had caused a plug of
mucous to form in the airway.  Dr. Gardner said the plug looked just like
hardened glue.  He had never seen anything like it before.  When the plug
moved, the ferret couldn't breathe.  When the owner performed mouth-to-nose
breathing, it loosened the plug enough for the ferret to breathe.
 
    -Carla
[Posted in FML issue 3000]