Having been owned by ferrets for nearly a decade, you'd think that I
would be familiar with something as pedestrian as a common cold.  But
I've been fortunate enough that none of my fuzzies -- until now, maybe --
has come down with one.
 
Sprinkles is a ~7-8 year old black-eyed white female who some of you with
good memories may remember had a nearly fatal reaction to a distemper
shot about two years ago.  Since that reaction she's taken to fits of
sneezing from time to time.  These fits don't seem to be causing any harm
(my vet was able to witness one of them as it happened) other than making
Sprinkles very dizzy for a moment.
 
But a couple of nights ago she started "wheezing" while she sneezed, and
last night started making what I can only describe as a "ferret cough"
(like she had phlegm stuck in her throat).  Her sneezes are quite wet
(unlike the sneezing fits she normally has, which are dry) and she's been
sleeping a bit more than normal.  Her appetite and litterbox habits are
basically unchanged.  She seems to be retaining some water; her belly
seems a little bigger than normal but this might just be me being
paranoid and it doesn't seem to be causing her any distress.
 
I suspect that she just has a cold but I'm not sure since I've never seen
a ferret with a cold before.  I've moved her into a smaller cage (away
from the other two ferrets, who are fine) and I'm keeping her in the
kitchen where it's a good 10-15 degrees warmer than the rest of the
apartment where she usually is.  Her water is now spiked with VitaSol and
she's getting duck soup once a day.  When she's in the kitchen she
doesn't seem to sneeze as much.  I know when I have a cold and I'm
breathing cooler air it bothers my sinuses; warmer air is a lot more
comfortable.  I'm thinking maybe it's the same way with Sprinkles.
 
Any thoughts/insights on this before I'm overcome with panic and spend
what little remaining money I have left on another emergency trip to the
vet? :-O   Tips appreciated.
 
-Steve Godun
  ...and Sprinkles (*achoo!*)
  ...and Bubo ("Play! Play! Play! Zzzzz....")
  ...and Pippin ("Whoa. Cool. Go away.")
[Posted in FML issue 4032]