Hi all
 
My name is Michael Curry and I am currently president of the Ferret
Protection and Welfare Society here in Australia!  I am writing to the FML
for help, here in Australia we have a problem:
 
Four years ago I had 7 breeding jills, all were healthy and well fed.  Some
were kept outside, some inside and all were very much loved and handled.  I
had all of the jills mated by different hobs and all had nice healthy
litters of around 5-8 babies each.  All was going well, the young grew fast
and were being fed on vitamin supplimeted cat food from 4 weeks of age,
however - 6 weeks of age came and 60% of the kits dropped dead.  I mean
DROPPED dead - they were fine and active one mintue and then were dead
within the next.  5 out of 8 kits from one litter died within 20 mins of me
checking them previously.  The other 40% thrived- until 8 weeks of age where
they all (except one) dropped dead.  They died in a similar way to before
(at six weeks) and i was lucky(?) enough to see one die.  It convolsed
violently for around 5 minutes before it died.  That was virtually it, a
small amout of black tarry stool, consistent with death in this manner, was
noted.  The one jill (Maggie)that survive was about half the size of a
normal jill and produced 17 -19 kits per litter for the next two years (she
died of an unknown poss related cause last year).  We had 4 of the kits
PM'ed by the local vet (a friend) and the animal pathology department of
Victoria.  Both were inconclusive.  No abnormalities detected, the kits
should not have died.  After a sugestion of a mineral deficiency I split the
jills up for their next litters.  some were fed a very high quality food
(commercial), some chicken and vegetables, some whole dead chicks and mice
and even some on bread and milk (we were desperate).  Some were fed calcium
and thiamin suppliments, some general vit.  suppliments, some seaweed meal.
The same results, all the kits died at either 6 or 8 weeks of age, to the
day.
 
The next year we tried breeding again.  This time the jills had very small
litters of only 1 or 2 kits each and none of them survived past 10 weeks,
altho there was a different situation this time, they had greenish diahhorea
for a few days before they died and convulsed for about 45 mins before
dying.  When they died most still had black stools although some were noted
to be light green with little clear spheres enclosed and very mucusy.  I
showed some of these to the vet but he was unfamiliar with them.  Towards
the end of that breeding season, four of my adult ferrets, all males, the
older ones, one being around 8-9 years, died suddenly, they also had black
stools and died overnight.
 
Once again Post mortems revealed nothing.  Maggies kits (15 of the 17 that
were born, 2 stillborns) also died but with similar signs to the ones that
had died the year before.  (bear with me, its confusing).  The next year no
babies survived untill weaning.
 
During the year I lost 3 more of my pets unexpectanlty (2M, 1F)and by now
had half of the vets in melbourne baffled.  It was suggested that a
rotovirus was responsible and also that it may be mink aleution disease but
none of these suggestions have been proven due to lack of tests over here.
I thought it was possibly something to do with my husbandry practices until
I heard that all over Victoria and South Australia people were having a
similar problem.  It has now spread to most of the breeders in Southern
Australia.  I have lost a lot more of my female ferrets this year and had to
give the rest up due to me moving.  A lot of the ferrets were strays from
around Melbourne (I am the only shelter here) and were put to sleep rather
than adopted on recommendation of my vet.
 
We are at ourt wits end now.  I know of one other ferret that has survived
from "infected" litters and it has severe growth and formation problems.  A
few of the kits were formed strangely and birth defects were high.  Of 100%
of jills that were mated last year 40% produced litters and of those litters
5% contained numbers greater than 4.  I do not know if the other affected
survivor (its a jill) produces high numbers of young as she is desexed!!!  :(
 
Please if anyone has any ideas let me know via email :
                     [log in to unmask]
 
We are just coming up to breeding season again.  BTW it is definatly not a
genetic problem.
 
Thanks for your help.
 
Michael.
[Posted in FML issue 1673]