I'm looking for suggestions/comments....
I have a 9 mo. old, descented/spayed fert who has been having a really bad
odor to her coat.  Pepe' doesn't usually have this smell and she does get
baths, (once a month).  She isn't poofing....(i've had the honor of
witnessing that before ;-)....the smell is coming from her fur.  The odor
is a very strong musky/skunky like odor.  She's never smelled like this,
just the last couple of days, sometimes she has the odor, sometimes she
doesn't.  Does anyone have any ideas why this might be?  In internal
infection of some sort?
 
Josephine: I'm so glad that you hung in there...i'm glad your babies are
fine!  :-)
 
>I have heard and read that ferrets are susceptible to things like colds and
>the like and can get it from their human companions.  Well, I came down
>with a cold recently, and am very concerned for my ferret's well-being.  We
>share a small bedroom together, and there's no getting around that.
>Even if I wash my hands, I fear picking her up because I might breathe on
>her accidentally or something.
 
When I had a cold, my fuzzy, Tango caught it from me.  The first thing you
will notice is a possible runny nose and eyes, some sneezing might happen
also.  He also became very lethargic.  My vet put him on an antibiotic
(can't remember off hand what it was) and he was fine within the next
couple of days.  Ferrets don't handle upper respiratory viruses very well,
so if he does show symptoms...call your vet right away.
 
The next time I had a cold, none of my ferts caught it from me, even though
I still handled them and played with them.  Each ferret is different.  A
cold is so easily transmitted no matter how careful you are.
 
Cheers!
Tracy N.
Tango, Chico, Roo and Pepe'
[Posted in FML issue 2470]