>I came back home at 11 PM and Ferri (a 6 months, male, MF, sable ferret)
>was limping, he obviusly had his left hand injured.  He had no muscle tone
>in all his arm.  Saturday early in the morning I took him to one of the
>really scarse vets in Mexico city that know something about ferrets.  The
>radiography showed that all his bones were fine and at the right place,
>but he might have received a very strong hit probably with a door
 
Just a wild guess, but those symptoms certainly do fit a bite or sting by a
poisonous insect/spider/etc.  Did the vet check for bite marks?
 
>... You can literally hear the fluid in his lungs.  Using Dex, Lasix, and
>prednisolone we cleared up the rash and it has not returned.  However, the
>raspy breathing persists.  Luke has had a chest x-ray, which appears normal
>with very little fluid apparent, two blood tests about three weeks apart,
>both were normal with no signs of an elevated white blood cell count.  His
>heart worm test is negative.
 
Sounds like you have a very good and caring vet.  One suggestion is that
ferrets often only have one heart worm and as a result, the heartworm test
results are not always accurate -- (I'm talking long shot here).  The SNAP
test, and Dr. Fox says a CITE heartworm test (which I'm not at all familiar
with) are the only ones that I've heard of with a chance of picking it up.
We had one that came back negative on the SNAP test but heart worm was
confirmed with an x-ray of the heart (looked for an unusual swelling in one
chamber).  Another way out suggestion comes in the form of a question - is
the diet you're feeding heavy in corn -- first or second or third
ingredient on the ingredient list?  Diets heavy in corn may cause deposits
in the urinary tract.
 
Best of luck.
 
>My ferret, Moogie (who is not a great candidate for surgery) has been on a
>low dose of Prednisone for about eight months now to treat insulinoma....
>However, the vet told me yesterday that she did not want to refill his
>prescription because long-term use of Prednisone will cause Cushing's
>Syndrome and that this is debateably worse than the insulinoma.
 
If it were my ferret, and the ferret were healthy enough to withstand
surgery, I'd opt for a partial removal of the pancreas and the nodules.
An experienced vet can feel and remove the nodules and about 1/3 of the
pancreas around where the tumors were found.  This often gives a much
better quality and length of life than symptomatic treatment with pred.
Also, Cushings is not a normal ferret disease.  I tend to get very leery
when I hear a vet refer to ferret adrenal disease as "Cushings" although
some may use the term descriptively, knowing that it is technically
incorrect.
 
>I fell in love and bought my two boys from a Pet store so yes, they are
>Marshall Farm ferrets.  I believe I am correct in my understanding that I
>can expect to have medical problems in the future, and yes, I have started
>a savings account to cover those cost when they arise.
 
Regardless of what you may have heard, I've seen no scientific studies that
indicate that Marshall Farm ferrets are any more or less prone to cancers
or other illnesses than any other breeder, so rest a little easier.  As you
have found, the Marshall ferrets do tend to be very sweet and affectionate.
 
The 1 pound male ferret?  I'd say very low weight for 6 months (I am
assuming that it is indeed a male ferret <G> and believe me I've seen cases
of "boy" ferrets being actually jills.) I think my main concern, again for
a male, would be with his heart.  I really hesitate to even mention that,
since that was based on a sample size of one (so it's much more of a gut
reaction than anything else).  I've seen one tiny male who did die young
because of a malformed heart.  It was just too small to support his size.
When you take him into the vet next time, ask the vet what he thinks or
can find out.
 
Vet schools.  I'd be somewhat concerned about getting "up to date"
information from most of them.  From what I've heard, talking to vets,
many don't keep up with the latest research, and may be 5 - 10 years
behind.  Since much of the research on ferret diseases and treatments is
newer than that, many are not the best of resources.
 
>I've never wormed any of my ferrets.  Do I need to?  I've never noticed a
>problem.
 
Worms, from my experience, are rarely a problem in ferrets, but yes they
can get them.  Tape worms are possible also.  Generally, periodic worming
is not necessary or recommended.
 
Dick B.
4 Li'l Paws Ferret Shelter
[Posted in FML issue 2707]