Wound up with two things attached.

Should read like this because these are different illnesses:

BTW, for those who don't know either of these two things:

ECE has been molecularly characterized.

There is a new coronavirus being seen in ferrets which behaves and
looks like the dry form of FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) in cats.
It was first identified in Europe but has been found in several places
in the U.S. beginning last year.

Carafate binds to some meds, and if given along with food it won't work
as well as it should. It is best to give Carafate separated from other
meds and from foods. The times involved vary per vet: from 10 minutes
up to about a half hour. (In humans the time separations given
increased a while ago; we know because my hubby had to take it due to
an esophageal constriction.)

The other meds can be given at the same time.

Because so many ferrets hate Flagyl a combo based around Biaxin is
often given instead, but that also depends on what is suspected.

Your description does *NOT* sound at all like DIM. BTW, that is no
longer being called DIM because now that it is better understood
Myofasciitis is a much more accurate term. The HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
article on that goes with this abstract:

> Vet Pathol. 2007 Jan;44(1):25-38.
>
> Myofasciitis in the domestic ferret.
>
> Garner MM, Ramsell K, Schoemaker NJ, Sidor IF, Nordhausen RW,
> Bolin S, Evermann JF, Kiupel M.
> 654 West Main, Monroe, WA 98272. [log in to unmask]
>Since late 2003, an inflammatory disease of muscle and fascia has
>been diagnosed in several ferrets at Northwest ZooPath, and this
>report describes the condition in 17 ferrets. It is a disease of
>young ferrets, characterized by rapid onset of clinical signs, high
>fever, neutrophilic leukocytosis, treatment failure, and death (or
>euthanasia). Gross lesions include atrophy of skeletal muscle; red
>and white mottling and dilatation of the esophagus; and splenomegaly.
>Histologically, moderate to severe suppurative to pyogranulomatous
>inflammation is in the skeletal muscle and the fascia at multiple
>sites, including esophagus, heart, limbs, body wall, head, and lumbar
>regions. Myeloid hyperplasia of spleen and/ or bone marrow also is
>a prominent feature. Ultrastructural lesions include mitochondrial
>swelling, intracellular edema, disruption of myofibrils and Z bands.
>Bacterial and viral cultures, electron microscopy,
>immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction were negative
>for a variety of infectious agents. The clinical presentation and
>distribution of lesions suggests that polymyositis in domestic ferrets
>is likely a distinct entity. The etiopathogenesis if this condition is
>not known.

Short term access to the full article can be purchased at:
http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/full/44/1/25

Purevax is being sold again. (The manufacturing line that makes it
makes other vaccines so they are done at different times of the year.)
If the dog vaccine is live vaccine then the shot can actually infect
the ferrets. Dog vaccines were used before there were ferret ones. The
current types in the U.S. have not been tested for effectiveness in
ferrets. Also, some of them are combined with other vaccines that
ferrets don't need. When Purevax can't be gotten Galaxy D is usually
used. It has been tested very short term (only a matter of weeks) in a
very small sample of male kits. The vaccine (no longer made) which was
its parent had been tested and was effective for a reasonable amount
of time.

Sukie (not a vet)
Current FHL address:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
People can join there or can send a blank mail to the automated
joining address:
[log in to unmask]
and then follow the directions.
(The second is recommended for those having problems with Yahoogroups
web settings, and afterward send a blank mail from your subscribed
address to
[log in to unmask]
to get the digest instead of individual mails. )
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml

[Posted in FML 5504]