I received a call from my cousin today regarding a friends ferret.
This ferret is 11 months old, purchased from Petco in Utah, and from
she describes I think may be suffering from JL.

She took her to the vet who diagnosed liver/kidney infection. He
prescribed baytril and another med (unknown to me) and sent her home.
She describes the symptoms as lethargy, no appetite, can barely hold
her head up, will not eat/drink, and now labored breathing. The CBC
showed elevated liver enzymes, hence his diagnosis of liver infection.
The medications have not shown any signs of improvement after 2 days
and this poor little ferret is just getting worse. Does anyone have
any other ideas of what could be wrong with this little ferret?

I'm afraid the prognosis is not good. This poor girl has done all that
she can to help this little girl. She is in San Diego, CA., so her
resources are limited when it comes to ferret knowledgeable care. If
this poor little ferret passes I need some advice on what can she
possibly do to get her vet expenses reimbursed by either Marshall's or
Petco and getting her money back from Petco for the cost of the ferret
iself. I recall reading someones experience with getting vet bills
reimbursed, so if anyone can help me and let me know if this is at all
a possibility, I would appreciate any guidance. I know getting your
money returned will not replace the grief she is experiencing now, but
I also don't want her to be discouraged by ferret ownership after this
experience. She already feels guilty, but I assured her that ferret
illnesses were prevalent and unavoidable.

Thanks for any and all help or advice.

Tanya

[Posted in FML 6377]