I am posting this on behalf of Laura of the Frolic club and In the Company
of Ferrets shelter in MN.  She's has this run through the shelter and club
folks and has been contacted by at *least* a couple dozen folks not
connected to either in any way, with the same problem.
 
If you live in MN or a surrounding state there is a "bug" that is going
through the human population that is also hitting the ferrets and hitting
them HARD.  There *have been deaths*.  Primary symptoms in humans come on
as food poisoning: bloat, gas, cramping, vomiting, and diahrrea.  Also
fever, chills, joint aches, and severe weakness.  The reason I note the
human connection is because many of the ferrets we've been contacted about
have become ill after a human in their house has been hit, and also in many
cases the people who've called don't even know anyone with another ferret.
So the human factor seems to be *only* connection between cases.
 
All of the people who have contacted us that went to non-shelter vets
reported that the vet they went to including several claiming to be
"ferret-knowledgeable" did not have the remotest clue about what was going
on.  Symptoms in ferrets run the gammut from sneeze, cough, sniffle, to
complete loss of back legs, prolapsed rectum, blueberry preserve (as
opposed to black, tarry, sticky) poop and spiking blood gluecose in some
cases, into the 300-500 range, crashing back to normal within 24 to 48
hours.  Fever, apparant chills, apparant dizziness, nausea, vomiting,
diahreah, dehydration, gas, total lethargy, etc.  are also symptoms.
It's hitting all age groups, two under the age of one that have lost
their back legs, one died.  *This is not ECE, juvenile lympho, ADV, or
parasites, the last two of which we've tested for as this has happened.*
 
Upon medical exam, blood profiles come out normal, with the exception of
the elevated blood glucose *if* that's caught while it's spiked.  The only
thing that have shown up on additional tests are elevated white counts,
also enlarged spleens, and there have been a few cases where it's gone
into the respritory system and turned into pneumonia.
 
Please be aware that the hardest hit are those with pre-existing
conditions, especially insulinoma and lympho kids.  We strongly advise if
you have a ferret three or older that has not had a blood glucose test
recently to bring them to your vet NOW and get that checked, as these are
the ones that are being hit the hardest.  The only vets in the MN area
that appear to be aware of this situation are the In the Company of Ferrets
shelter vets.  (The MN Vet Association apparantly does not have a master
list of vets for information such as this to be sent out to alert others.)
 
If you live in MN, North/South Dakota, Iowa or Wisconsin, or the
corresponding parts of Canada, please make a copy of this and bring it to
your vet so they have an idea of what's going on if a furkid comes in with
these symptoms/history.  For more information, including the protocol we've
been following here at the shelter (we're not giving medical advice, just
telling people what *our* vets have advised us and what has been working)
please call Laura at 651-439-5209.  Please be aware that we are very busy
and please leave a message with contact information if you don't reach her
directly.  If your vet wants more information please have them call our
primary vet, Dr. Mary Arnesen at 651-275-0831.
 
If you have had a case of this, mild or severe in your household, please
contact us and let us know.  We're trying to gage how widespread this is.
You can write us at [log in to unmask]
 
Also please rememer that if a ferret dies for any unknown or questionable
reason to have a necropsy done.  Our choice of path. labs is Marshfield in
Wisc.  (Unfortunately nothing has shown up on necropsies yet, except for
any preexisting conditions.)
[Posted in FML issue 3481]