Dear Jerri:

2.25 mg/pred/day for a 5 lb. ferret is actually less than 0.5 mg/lb
which isn't all that bad at that weight, but I would like to know what
weight he started out at. For a large ferret, 0.5 is not all that bad -
it is where we start on many cases of inflammatory bowel disease, etc.
Breaking it up three times a day is an interesting approach, though. I
guess that I am not blown away by the amount, but what is key here is
to titer it back to the minimal amount necessary to control signs. You
have identified a number of problems in the management of this case -
perhaps he should be eventually re-realuated for repeat surgery.
Prolonged levels of pred administration rarely result in any long-term
liver or kidney damage, but may lead to diabetes as the pancreas tries
to secrete enough insulin to counter the glucose-raising effects of
pred. This I the most common cause of diabetes in ferrets and the cause
of the very peculiar very low blood glucose to skyrocketing blood
glucose shift we seen in affected ferrets.

On the second situation - the pattern of ECE has shifted markedly from
what we saw in the mid-nineties when it first came on the seen. Gone
are the days when ECE found a naive facility and ripped through it,
resulting in 100% of the inhabitants passing verdant green mucousy
stools. The ubiquitousness of the virus in American ferrets and many
large producers has resulted in most kits today having protective
antibodies, and being immune to infection until possibly later in life.
Any outbreaks in this oucnty are usually small and limited to a small
number of animals in a facility. Yes, the basic story is still that a
new ferret comes in and other get diarrhea within 48-72 hours, but it
is a far moe sporadic disease in a facility than ever before.

And always remember - green poop does not necessarily mean ECE - it
just means that the stool is passing through the body too quickly.
Coccidia, IBD - these can all result in green or seedy stools.

Hope this helps,
Bruce Williams, DVM

[Posted in FML 5653]