Back decades ago there actually were some people who ENCOURAGED others
to expose kits to ECE since kits typically get a much milder illness
from it than adults. Arrrrgghhhhh! NOT medically wise!

When the mutation hazards of spreading the disease even more widely
were brought up those people didn't understand enough about diseases
to see what the hazard is. Sadly, we all know too well now that the
hazard was real.

Nor did they understand that the damage that ECE can do the small
intestine (including in kits) may later lead to IBD and even may
increase the risks of intestinal lymphoma.

Unfortunately, the widely spread nature of ECE is allowing for more
chances for more mutants. I have unofficial heard of what sounds like
it may be a very nasty second mutant form of ECE (with about 50%
fatalities), and as everyone here who reads enough knows, there is
the fatal form that looks like dry FIP looks in cats but is a mutant
of ECE.

There are viruses which shed before they show symptoms -- including
influenza -- and there are ones that continue to shed infective virus
long after the symptoms go away. ECE is one of the diseases that sheds
long-term, even after the disease is gone. When we had it here years
ago we isolated not only our ferrets but also ourselves from places
where it might spread so we did not set foot into a ferret show or a
pet store for over a year after the symptoms had stopped. Seriously,
that was the best way to protect the ferrets of others.

Oh, and with ECE do know that secondary problems like ulcers, colitis,
permanent kidney damage, and more can arise, and that elders or ones
already compromised by other illnesses are more likely to not survive.

Because of the damage to the small intestine caused by ECE do opt for
an easily digested and balanced diet when that disease is present and
know that you may need to reduce fat intake. Much of food processing
and nutrient and fats uptake is done in the small intestine.

**

Note that ferrets do not get colds. They don't get rhinoviruses and so
far I have been unable to find any research showing them getting any
of the less common viruses that cause colds. That is why ferrets are
not used in research on cold medications.

Ferrets DO get some things which people can confuse with colds. They
get influenzas (some of which can be mild, especially in those who
have earlier been exposed to a related influenza though some forms
are themselves milder) and they can get sinus infections (in which
case antibiotics will help since these are from bacteria rather than
from viruses -- and note here that colds are caused by viruses so
antibiotics will not help with them). Ferrets also can get allergies
though that is more rare than in people.

You can also see posts from experts like veterinary pathology ferret
expert, Dr. Bruce Williams in both the FML and FHL Archives to confirm
this.

**

Please, note that some recent research points out that as aspect of the
body'd normal defenses which fights viruses also appears to increase
the rates of the types of mutations that can lead to malignancies. So,
taking precautions to reduce the body's exposure to viruses is simply
a smart move. Wash hands often and avoid coughing or sneezing around
ferrets when you have influenza and for gosh sakes do NOT purposely
expose additional ferrets to ECE!

(Cancers are due to the body's own mutated cells, and malignant
cells -- cancerous cells -- arise quite often in everyone but are
usually killed off before they get past being just a few cells. It
is best to minimize the risk, though, by minimizing exposures to
viruses.)

Also note that viruses can have secondary complications that may cause
life-long damage.

My recent note on this:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/message/17686

http://ocplmedia.od.nih.gov/nihradio/20120705niehscancer.mp3

This is NIH Radio.

>Use these refs for ECE info with the first being the more plainly
>written one but give it time to load, please, since it is coming
>from an archive:
> 
> http://web.archive.org/web/20000816025122/
> http://www.afip.org/ferrets/ECE/ECE.html
> http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL14634

Sukie (not a vet)  Ferrets make the world a game.

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
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 7481]