To Art Rochelle concerning vomiting kits:
 
>The pet store near us just got in some kits, and so I went to visit
>them (it isn't the best pet store, and we refuse to even buy food there, but I
>knew they had just gotten the kits and decided to stop by).  I'm guessing
>they're 6 weeks, but I really don't know.  Anyway, while I was there the
>dominant kit (a very cute red-eyed white) vomited in one of the corners.  One
>of my ferrets used to hack once in a while (I presume because of a hairball),
>and this was not the same thing.  The kit then started to eat it (reminding me
>of a puppy who gets overly excited, as compared to a sick animal - puppies
>occaisonally lose their food, and then eat it again, usually when they get
>really excited or start running a lot right after breakfast); the other kits
>came over to help him.   I've never had a kit this small before, so I wasn't
>sure if it was a kit thing, but I've always heard that vomiting was generally
>pretty serious in ferrets.  Since its not my ferret (supposedly someone
>had already bought him and was coming to get him today or tomorrow) I doubt i
>could do anything (this is not the ideal kind of pet store owner), but does
>anyone know what might be wrong?
 
        That's a touch question to answer.  At that age, some form of dietary
indiscretion has to be the primary differential - young kits may eat litter, or
bedding, or they may just gorge themselves just to bring it back up again.  If
this is the dominant kit, he may be first in line at feeding time.
        Of course, bacterial gastroenteritis is also fairly common in kits and
probably the #1 cause of kit mortality.  Gastrointestinal parastitism,
concerning the location was a pet shop, also should be considered in this case.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 576-2453/2454                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
 
[Posted in FML issue 0869]