Have a situation that is perplexing and would like any thoughts or ideas
anyone has to share.  Local couple.  Wonderful, professional people.  They
occasionally must go out of town on business and I have baby-sat their 2
ferrets several times.
 
We also have the same vet and I know for a fact they take wonderful care of
their ferrets.  Regular vet checks, good food, lot's of toys, lots of love.
The problem is one of the ferrets and honestly, even the vet is stumped.
 
Evie is about 10 months old.  They purchased her at a pet store when she
was 6 weeks.  She is a Marshall Farm.  Nice ferret, sweet temperament.
Since the start, she has had what can only be termed as chronic health
problems.  Never anything serious, but ongoing.
 
She has ongoing stomach problems, irritable bowels etc.  The vet had
recommended a teaspoon of plain yogurt daily and that seemed to help quite
a bit.  She also suffers from periodic sneezing or coughing fits.  Nothing
that would suggest allergy or issues regarding anything in her area.
 
For example, she will have a huge sneezing fit 10 times in one day and then
it won't happen again for weeks.  Or she may do it twice a day everyday for
a few days and then not for a while.
 
They have invested in blood work, x-rays, full exams etc... all show
nothing abnormal.  I recently baby-sat the girls for over 2 months while
they renovated part of their home because they didn't want the girls
there while the work was kicking up dust and using chemicals.
 
A major reason behind this renovation was pulling up the carpet and tiling
the the ferrets rooms.  I only point this out to help illustrate just how
much they love these ferrets and what wonderful owners they are.  The sky
the limit, so neglect or quality of care is NOT any sort of issue here.
 
One thing I have noticed... while I had the girls here... I took her off
her yogurt (with owners and vets approval) and gave them the mix I feed
my ferrets, which includes Nupro sprinkled on the food daily... I have
never had her display any of the symptoms while here.
 
I don't think it is the environment at their home, they have made sure
there is nothing that can cause reactions, they have no other pets, they
even bought a humidifier for the ferrets room.
 
Any thoughts?
[Posted in FML issue 3069]