Yesterday we lost a ferret to an unknown infection(?) of some kind.  We did
not autopsy her, and my vet have been over all the symptoms trying to figure
out what happened.  Can anyone give me an idea of what these symptoms might
represent:
 
8-9 days ago - sneezing & olive-green mucousy diarrhea
5 days ago - sneezing, lack of appetite, normal activity
3-4 days ago - stuffy nose, stopped eating, became lethargic
2 days ago - stuffy nose, bloody discharge from urinary opening,
dehydration, difficulty swallowing
1 day ago - died in the car on the way to an emergency vet visit, precluded
by bloody nasal discharge, inability or refusal to swallow, bloody urinary
discharge, extreme lethargy & labored breathing.  We had been syringe
feeding her "duck soup" and fluids for several days before she died, and had
started her on antibiotics.  Her former cage mate is fine & has no symptoms
of any kind.
 
A "cold" was brought in by one of the shelter ferrets about a month ago &
has been circulating through the group, though all the others recovered.
Symptoms: sneezing, & occasional brown grainy stools (though a few had bouts
of olive-green stool, which cleared up on its own).  All continued to eat
normally & behaved normally except for sleeping more often.  I noticed a
little bit of mucousy olive-green stool in one ferret yesterday & gave him 1
dose of antibiotics, but today his stool looks more normal except for being
grainy.  Ideas?
 
Thanks!
 
Karen
[Posted in FML issue 1696]