>I have been asked by a friend of mine if I could ask on this list if
>anyone knows about a condition called Actinomycosis?  Her ferret Harvey
>has been seen by her vet for the past month or so as he has developed a
>swelling in his throat, her vet now thinks it could be Actinomycosis but
>is unsure how to proceed...?  Below I have added an email from my friend
>Jane giving you a rundown of treatment Harvey has had so far.
 
Dear X -
 
As Actinomycosis is a serious and often refractory bacterial infection
which is not well treated by antibiotics - I think that it is very
important to have a definitive diagnosis either by biopsy or by culture
before embarking on any actinomyces treatment.  Identification is not
easy, but as the treatment of actinomycosis often requires relatively
radical excision of affected tissue, it is not something to guess at or
make a snap diagnosis.
 
In this case, before any discussion of treatment is initiated, the
definitive identification of the organism in this ferret should be
the first step.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list
[Posted in FML issue 3556]