Two past vet posts about this, and a ferret who died:
 
FHL post 4084:
Actually Pheylpropanolamine (PPA) was the nasal decongestion medication
that was taking off the market by the FDA.  Sudafed (AKA pseudoepherine
hydrochloride) is the only one still on the market!
 
Please be careful if you give over the counter medications to your
ferrets.  A lot of the allergy medications have a nasal decongestion
medication (pseudoephedrine) and/or a head ache medication
(tylenol/actetaminophen or ibuprofen) in them.  Tylenol can be fatal to
ferrets (and cats)!  Please only use plain Benadryl without anything in it
(just plain diphenhydramine).  Chlor-trimeton is another antihistamine,
but again you want the one without anything else (just plain
chlorpheniramine) in it.  Yes, as Katherine pointed out some ferrets will
suffer from seasonal allergies (spring and fall) just like people with
allergies do.
 
Plain Benadryl can be used for ferrets with allergies.  Again make sure it
is just plain Benadryl and not a combination product.  Like wise if you
are giving Benadryl before vaccines, make sure it is the plain benadryl.
 
Hope that clears up the confusion,
Jerry Murray, DVM
  -----------
 
FHL post 3519:
I am sorry for your loss.  Not all Triaminic products have acetaminophen
in them, but apparently the one that you have, does.
 
Many people wonder why I don't generally prescribe medications for ferrets
with influenza or other mild upper respiratory infections, and
unfortunately, this is the exact reason why.
 
Tylenol (acetominophen) is a very toxic drug in ferrets.  Any product
containing acetominophen is not suitable for animals, and we don't even
use this product in my household for the humans.  This drug is exclusively
metabolized by the liver, and even a small amount generally overwhelms the
liver's ability to detoxify it.  Once that is breached then the breakdown
products of this drug bind to proteins in the liver cells, rapidly killing
the cells, and sending the animals spiraling into liver failure.
 
In humans, it has a very low level of toxicity, and I am constantly
amazed at widespread usage. Normal doses have been known
to cause liver damage in persons who take Tylenol with alcohol,
and a dosage of only 5-6 times normal may result in death in
children. It is a commonly abused substance in suicide attempts
by children and teens.
 
But the key is that in animals, it is a killer.  While this is indeed a
tragedy, I am hopeful that others may learn from your misfortune, and will
think twice about giving any human medications to their pets without a
veterinarian's advice.
 
On a side note, the liver failure occurring with acetominophen is rapid,
fulminant and deadly.  When clinical signs appear, the chances of a pet
surviving is minimal.  In the case of this type of Triaminic, it appears
that ANY dosage, 3 ccs or not, would likely have been fatal.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
Join the Ferret Health List at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list
[Posted in FML issue 3631]