Hi Fred
 
Here in Holland have some problems with coughing ferrets as well,
Necropsy has been done on several and the one thing they seem to have
in common is the bacteria Pseudomonas, "found in water and soil."  At
the moment we still don't know if the pseudomonas are the cause or just
secondary.  I have one of these coughing ferrets myself and one of my
ferrets has died from it, but he was old, had a heart problem and
adrenalen so he was an easy candidate to catch it.  It seems to be
contagious only by direct contact and not all ferrets seen to get it.
Our vet Hanneke Moorman is doing a lot of research into this problem,
because she is the only vet in Holland who works only with ferrets she
sees this a lot.  Ask your vet to make an x-ray of the lungs to see if
there is scar tissue visible.  My Pumpkin responded very well to two
sorts of antibiotic given for six weeks, she then had a relapse and the
treatment was repeated for another 6 week, she has been cough free now
for about 6 months and there has been no more scar tissue development.
But if its really gone for good or just dormant we don't know.  I know I
will not take in another ferret as long as Pumpkin lives, I won't take
that risk.  If your vet would like the e-mail address of Hanneke Moorman
for more information and what medication, let me know
 
Good luck.
[Posted in FML issue 4638]