With pyrethrin type pesticides there are a few things that matter.
Some of the synthetics are bad enough for ferrets that they have been
mentioned as a way to kill them (the article that is no longer on the
web which I talked about in yesterday's FML.).  Even the safer ones need
to dry.  The natural version should not be overdone.  Kevin on the FML
wrote in late 1999 of losing a large number of ferrets when a housemate
over-did it.* The types differ, and a great many new types have been
developed since 1995 as well as data added.  Sharon gave detailed advice
of what turned up for very specific types and that is smart because
lumping all together isn't right.  A person needs to know that some types
are unsafe and then find which ones are safe while knowing to avoid the
others till enough is known.  If they are planning to use any other
version of pesticides rather than those Sharon gave careful details for
be extra sure to check ahead of time with one of the Animal Poison
Control places mentioned, and it never hurts to check even when given
detailed advice when something so serious is being discussed, especially
when those of us (like Sharon and me) who are saying what we found are
*not* experts and would appreciate people doing further checking and
supplying the info help all.
 
Pesticides vary, even within categories, and so do the companies applying
them.  We almost suffered some pretty terrible results decades ago when a
pesticide company (instead of digging trenches in outside soil which was
required by law for the termite pesticide they planned to use) drilled
holes in the building.  Some of the holes came right through the wall
into our bedroom and living room, thinking they were hitting the crawl
space (which would not have been a legal use for that pesticide, either).
Since they were not applying that day I asked the name of what they would
be using.  Then I called our state DEP and found the right person to ask.
It turned out that providing that pesticide in that way would not only
have poisoned our ferrets but it would have poisoned us and resulted in
the complex being condemned, so I arranged for that expert to be able to
talk to the landlord's head manager of their properties.  The upshot was
that company which make the mistakes had to repair the damage they did,
and a different company which did the job right was used.  The landlord
always liked us a lot after that, and when our condo was behind schedule
we were allowed extensions at a very reasonable cost.  A state Department
of Environmental Protection can be good place to find detailed
information at times.
 
*Overdoing natural pyrethrin in humans is also dangerous.  Here is some
info *from 1999* that I looked up to help him just after Christmas that
year (both human references):
http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind9912&L=FERRET-SEARCH&P=R38649
 
>I checked in the _Handbook or Poisoning_ (an OLD book) for you and the
>symptoms of pyrethrin poisoning (IN HUMANS) which that text lists are
>skin sensitivity, and convulsions or coma.  It does not have checks for
>GI or respiratory irritation, liver or kidney damage, or blood pressure
>drops.  Neither the livestock poisoning book nor one with picies list
>this particular mum or its components.
>
>From _Physicans' Desk Reference of Herbal Medicine_ (newest version --
>the most reliable source I included in my checking, again from humans but
>maybe there's something useful here): "No health hazards or side effects
>... with the proper administration of designated Therapeutic dosages ...
>doses up to 2 g ... are non-toxic"
 
>OVERDOSE: "Headache, ringing in the ears, nausea, parathesias,
>respiratory disturbances and other neurotoxic symptoms"
>
>For treatment they have: " gastric lavage with burgundy-colored
>potassium permanganate solution and installation of activated charcoal
>... possible cases of acidosis with sodium bicarbonate infusions... in
>shock plasma volume expanders should be infused... monitoring of kidney
>function ... intubation and oxygen respiration may be necessary"
 
You will want to discuss such procedures with your vet if that is the
likely cause from a medical standpoint.
 
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my
private posts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love
them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5247]