I think it would be good now to remind people that it is essential to learn
what one can about the more common illnesses, and signs which mean that
medical care should be sought rapidly. A few days ago the address for
Charlie Weiss's new website was posted. I've got to look it up again
myself -- have been ill with influenza (so the ferrets went a long while
without my kisses) -- and it sure would help most anyone to go and read a
site by such an accomplished vet -- not only those of us who have been
around them for ages and not only new-comers to ferrets. (Charlie also
has a wonderful video tape showing diagnostic and surgical procedures and
techniques. Both our's and our vets' copies arrived recently.) Anyway,
people need to learn and they also need to be sure to pass information on
to their vets. Vets really appreciate being given copies of articles by
vets such as those on Charlie's page, many of the articles at
http://www.ferretcentral.org and http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc , and
certainly the pages from Bruce William's
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html .
It is always heartbreaking when ferrets which SHOULD have already seen a
vet have not been taken there or when standard symptoms go unrecognized,
but people CAN learn so that they begin to recognize what common symptoms
can mean, and the pages mentioned above are a great way to start. Karen
Purcell has a vet book available from the AHAA (AAHA?) which is PERFECT for
any vet or vet student learning ferrets, or wanting a rapid way to look
things up. Liz Hillyer and Kathy Quesenberry have one which is wonderful
for the vet who wants to know yet more. James Fox has one for the vet who
wants to get into very detailed or sometimes almost obscure nitty-gritty.
All are magnificent.
We had an eventful day today. Hadn't planned it that way. Today was a
check-up and Fervac vaccinations for the crew. We always pre-medicate with
Benedryl Elixir and separate vaccinations. Got some recommendations for
improving Meeteetse's quadriceps tone for her sore hip joints. Then we
found out that Scooter (the little guy whose mother tried to eat his hand
when he was born) has a questionable-feeling kidney. The kidney doesn't
feel that bad, but he'll need an ultrasound and some other tests. Given
his slight heart murmur his heart will be checked at the same time just as
case since the test is being done anyway.
As usual we waited about a half hour after the shots. Everyone was fine.
Maybe 10 or 15 minutes after we got home Jumpstart had a little vomiting.
Then it became a LOT more than a little, in fact, non-stop. Got a touch
more Benedryl into him rapidly and rushed him back to the vet. He had
severe runs shortly after we got into the car; by the time we got back to
the hospital he was flat but conscious, then when they began to treat he
began bleeding intestinally. He never got really severe, fortunately, but
certainly would have without immediate care. He would have died without
the care. It always makes sense to stay in the vets' at least a half hour
after vaccinations and then to stay with the ferrets for at least 2 hours
more after that. Obviously, Jumper tries Galaxy next year and has injected
Benedryl first.
Warp will probably be having adrenal surgery after a while. She is losing
fur on her trunk in large amounts and her skin is thinning somewhat. There
isn't any inflammation of her vulva, yet, and this is an acute onset only
something like half a year since she had insulinoma surgery and there was
no sign of adrenal trouble then -- so we want to wait a little while so
that the trouble adrenal has enough time to clearly be the problem so that
it's not a matter of wondering which one is the culprit. Warpie's so prone
to acne and dry skin that she usually loses tail hair from dermal problems
(Tail fur loss is usually dermal.); having her now with the blackheads
cleared up and tail fur in place but body hair falling out feels like
looking at a negative instead of a photo.
Barb, when you have time read the earlier letters from Teri of AVAR -- the
ones from before she knew that the board members were being given copies of
her letters. Among other things she advocated illegality of ferrets and
getting rid of all domestic ferrets through sterilization. You'll also
notice that the sorts of things she has been saying have until recently not
been things she took the pains to explain as only her own opinions (giving
the impression that they represented the group), that she has freely said
such things for over a year to multiple people, that she has proven to be
a closed gate when people wanted to get information through, etc. Three
people have independently encountered these difficulties. Obviously, that
group needs to consider how to tackle these management problems before she
repeats some of her stranger comments to the wrong people, and the board
members had to learn that there ARE sources of information out there. I
can see where it would be hard to know what was going on seeing only the
most recent letters.
I found the comment that some recent research has indicated that people
exposed to very clean environments may be more likely to have diabetes an
interesting one. There are piles of hypotheses out there for the common
illnesses (NONE with enough hard data to know which way is up so far from
what I've seen), but I sure haven't seen anyone wonder if too much cleaning
might be implicated in any of them for ferrets. Yet, this means that there
are now at least two studies indicating that extreme cleanliness might play
a part in some human disorders and diseases. If this bears out I wonder if
too much cleaning might also wind up being implicated in some ferret
illnesses. This doesn't mean that ferrets should live in filth, of course,
but it MIGHT mean that missing out some mild immune system challenges may
be asking for larger trouble or that certain cleaning products may also be
involved in some diseases (or some additive or multiplicative situation).
The article I had read was by someone who felt the results indicated that
those who live in garishly clean surroundings simply don't have their
immune systems properly challenged or taught due to the squeaky clean
environment.
[Posted in FML issue 2923]
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