The final results of the fecal exam revealed an over-population of
Clostridium; probably a secondary infection brought on by an over-lying
viral infection.  They've been on Chloramphenicol for a couple of weeks
which has apparently cleared up the Clostridium but left them with an
intestinal yeast problem.  They're on an anti-fungal drug now and we're
hoping this will clear it up for good.
 
The consensus is that the initial infection was caused by a cold passed on
from a human, probably combined with the stress of introducing a new ferret
to the bunch.
 
For those of you whose ferrets have been suffering from green diarrhea,
please have a bacterial culture examined to see if Clostridium might be the
culprit.  From what I understand, the antibiotics used to treat ECE are
quite different from those used to treat Clostridium.  If your ferrets are
relatively active, chances are it's not ECE.
 
For now I'm cutting back on the duck soup and monitoring their weight
closely.  We should see results within a week.
 
Thank you to everyone kind enough to send me their thoughts on feeding duck
soup, taking care of sick ferrets, and treatment options.  Special thank
you to those who sent warm thoughts and friendly letters!  I've never
nursed a needy ferret before and this has been very trying.
 
-mel
 
P.S.  This Thanksgiving I am most thankful for sick ferrets who still
remember to use the litter box.
[Posted in FML issue 2491]