We are expecting a post from a wonderful FHL member whose personal
ferret helped find the answer to the puzzle of coughing ferrets (but
sadly did not survive) in the Pacific NW who had been sold by Real
Canadian Ferrets.

Ferrets from the involved breeder are thought to have been sold in
Canada, the U.S. Pacific NW (Alaska, Oregon, and Washington), and
Japan.

To refer people to the article (which I have to get time to read
through, having many human and ferret family demands right now) it is
session 158 of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (which I think
is now technically the Association of Avian and Exotic Veterinarians)
and is titled:

A Novel Mycoplasma lsolated from Pet Ferrets
(Mustela putorius furo)
by
Cathy A. Johnson-Delaney, DVM, Dipl ABVP (avian), Dipl ABVP (Exotic
Companion Animal)
Matti Kiupel, Dr. Med Vet, BS, MS, PhD, Dipl ACVP
and
Michael M. Garner, DVM, Dipl ACVP

By all appearances the ferrets are arriving with the illness rather
than acquiring it later. (Some questions arising are: Are pregnant
females more susceptible; are kits more susceptible; what other factors
are involved in acquiring the illness?)

So, if you are in an involved area and got a coughing kit from that
breeder or know of a pet store which has such kits have them consider
this possible cause.

More should follow from people who know much, much more than I do about
the situation.

Sukie (not a vet)

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/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 6793]