Ulrike wrote:
>How can this happen?  The abscess that Jack had last May just appeared.
>He doesn't get bitten, he doesn't get scratched.  Dana's abscess couldn't
>have been a bite and neither Mason's or Tom's.  And now Jack again!  Is
>there a bug that can cause abscesses from the inside?  I just can't figure
>out how it could have happened.  The vets don't have a clue.  For years I
>don't see any abscesses and now it seems there's an abscess epidemic...
 
Dear Ulrike,
 
Do your ferrets spend time outside?  There is a parasite called a Cuterebra
(sp?) which is a fly that lays an egg on the fur.  This hatches, burrows
into the skin and causes a large lump which can abcess.  I know because we
have an outdoor run and WWW got 2 of these nasty things.  There is usually
a small, round hole in the skin that the larvae breathes through, one
larvae per hole.
 
I hope this all gets better, it sounds like a nightmare for you.
 
cb
[Posted in FML issue 3325]