http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1423922&messageid=375
 
>A friend of mine called me yesterday and she is very worried about one her
>ferrets, Elwood. He has scabs all over his body and is crusty around the
>mouth. He also has swollen toe pads and she said they look a bit red. He
>also has a reddish nose.  She took him to a vet in Portsmouth, NH
>(sorry, I don't remember who)and he really doesn't know what it is and
>guessed lymphoscama(sp)and put him on predisone.  This is what she told
>me.  To me is almost sounds like an allegy?  Could anyone help us out?
 
I would be suspicious of canine distemper in this ferret, although some
of the autoimmune diseases such as lupus could cause similar signs.
Mange can present like that, as well.  If distemper has been ruled out, I
would suggest a skin scraping to look for mange mites, then a biopsy if
no mites are found.
 
Dr. Ruth
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Save lives - spay or neuter your pet.
[Posted in FML issue 3848]