I have been a silent reader of the FML since last summer, when I first
became enamored of these little critters.  However, until last weekend, I
was ferret-less myself (partially due to being in MA, partially for other
reasons).  However, all that has changed now, as last weekend we adopted a
pair - a 6 mo boy (came to us named Winter - we've decided to call him Odin
instead) and a 4 mo girl named Amber.
 
It's Amber that we seem to have a problem with.  She keeps wretching -
throwing up without throwing up anything - when she's been out playing.  She
was following a pattern of sorts - after we let them out to play, 10 minutes
later (playing pretty hard), she'd make this wierd noise, almost like
gasping or stressed breathing, then she'd run off and try to throw up.
Sometimes a little mushy stuff would come up - sometimes nothing much at
all.  Then she'd be fine again.  She would play hard - wrestling, dooking,
dancing.  We separated them to make sure she was eating and pooping - which
she was.  This went on for 4 days.  We talked with Dr. Dutton about her, and
he thought that maybe she was getting over-excited - either eating too much
then playing hard and making herself sick (which I didn't think was the case
because she wasn't throwing up food, plus there were times when I know she
hadn't eaten just before playing), or just getting over-heated and having
her stomach expand, pressing on her diaphragm and making her wretch.  This
seemed plausible and explained the noises she was making too.
 
But then Tuesday night, we were in bed and they were in their cage - had
been asleep but woke up when Rolf came up the stairs -  and we heard her
wretching again - and again and again, almost non-stop for a minute or two.
I ran in - she wasn't throwing anything up but she was definitely in
trouble.  She finally stopped - we got some pepto into her (which had been
suggested to calm her stomach) and then she slept.  She hadn't been playing
this time, so I was really worried that something was seriously wrong.
 
Yesterday, she went back to the shelter to be taken back to the vet, but
she's been FINE there.  Playing hard - no problems.  So now our best guess
is that she's allergic or reacting to something in our house/her room.
We're using the same food and litter as the shelter (and her prior home).
Her water is either bottled (Poland Spring) or filtered tap water.  The
bedding was just washed in one of those detergents with no dyes or perfumes.
The carpet in the room is two years old (the house is only two years old!) -
was cleaned last August and has been vacuumed a number of times since.  That
room also had 4 ferrets in it for a week at Christmas time - not one had a
problem.  The toys are mainly boxes and things to climb in/on - box from a
6Qt pot, Rubbermaid dish tub, shoe box, pretzel barrel - again, all things
the other ferrets played with.  The only other things in the room is an
empty wooden bookcase and some boxes of books.  We have plastic carpet
runner down in several areas, again, stuff that we got last December for our
"guests".
 
Odin seems to be fine.  It's the strangest thing.  And yet, there's some
wierd irony here.  Anyone who knows me is going to be very amused by this -
because I am one of the most allergic people around!  However, when I found
I was not allergic to ferrets, it was one of the greatest things for me -
because I've always loved animals and wanted a pet!  So to have found a pet
that is having some sort of reaction...
 
Anyone ever seen anything like this before??  Any clues, suggestions, etc?
If it is the carpet, I suppose we could pull it up and put down something
else in that room (it's wall to wall - the same as in all the rooms in the
house except the kitchen and bathrooms) - but I'd like to *know* it for sure
- cuz 5 other fuzzies have been fine with it, and it won't be an easy job.
(Probably not cheap, either.)  Unfortunately the only other room I could put
her in to test would be the bathroom, and there isn't a whole lot of room to
play in there.  (Plus I don't really want to confine her to the bathroom!)
The only treats she's had consistently over this time has been a little
ferretone.  (I've been too afraid to try and give her anything else.  Oh,
the very first day she had part of one FerretBite - didn't seem to care for
it very much.)
 
Thanks.
 
Amy
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Amy Goldman
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[Posted in FML issue 1522]