THE ADVICE DISPENSED BY MYSELF IN REFERENCE TO FML POSTINGS IS NOT MEANT TO
SUPPLANT THE ADVICE OF VETERINARIANS WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF THE PATIENT.  IF
THE PATIENT IS NOT CURRENTLY UNDER THE CARE OF A VETERINARIAN, THE CLIENT IS
RECOMMENDED TO TAKE THEIR FERRET TO ONE.
 
>From:    Melissa Hyner <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: VET QUESTION - adoption
>My question concerns a ferret which I am thinking about adopting.
 
Hormonally, if he does not show any hob behavior, wait for now. The frequent
bathing may actually be contributing to the smell. Try decreasing the
frequency and see what happens.
 
>From:    Amy Goldman <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Ferret with reaction in new home
 
I saw Amber about two days later and she is back to 100 percent normal. Most
likely there is something that Amber is reacting to in the house.
 
>From:    mireille chiasson <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: vet question - hair lost
 
Another option is Oxydex gel which contains benzoyl peroxide to flush out
the hair follicle.
 
>From:    "Lindy N. Garner" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: medical question
>Have any of you ever used or heard of using Ketachinazole (sp?) for
>adrenal disease????
>The FAQ says adrenal disease is NOT cushing's disease.  DO FERRETS ever
 
Cushings disease is the human term for hyperadrenocorticism (the ferret
hyperadrenal disease).  Cushings is characterized by a high cortisol level.
This is the same version most dogs get.  Ferrets however do not typically
have a high cortisol component so it is not accurate to term their type of
hyperadrenocorticism Cushings disease.  Your vet is using an inaccurate
human disease term for the ferret disease, but still means
hyperadrenocorticism.
 
Ketoconazole is an antifungal medication that suppresses the cortisol
producing capacity of the adrenal disease.  Some vets have used it at the
canine dose with success while other times it fails miserably to stop the
symptoms.  The failures may be do with the fact the ferret
hyperadrenocorticism does not routinely have excessive cortisol production
as a symptom.
 
>From:    Catherine Shaffer <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Heartworm medication
>Our veterinarian insists that we give our fuzzies monthly heartworm
>preventative.  She says heartworm is always fatal in ferrets.  We live in
>Michigan, so mosquito season is pretty intense here.
AND
>From:    Linda Doran <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Heartworm medication
>Yes, there is a dose of heartworm medication that works for ferrets.  Dr.
>Williams, I think, posted it once last year based on a formula from another
 
I do not think anyone knows the incidence rate and mortality rate for
heartworm in ferrets.  Ivermectin, the active ingredient in the monthly
Heartgard30, works great for preventing heartworm in ferrets.  The
Heartgard30 chewable tablet does have the problem that the medication is not
evenly distributed throughout the tablet.
 
However making a mixture of cow ivermectin (Ivomec) is not without its
problems.  First off is the ability to accurately dilute it.  Ivomec is
manufactured for easy dosing of cattle at a much higher dosing per pound of
body weight compared to the dosing required for heartworm for a 2 pound
animal.  Also Ivomec is very air sensitive and degrades quickly outside the
bottle that your veterinarian dispenses and mixes from.  It is also very
light sensitive.  I have talked to the representatives at Merck who
manufactures Ivomec and Heartgard and they are adamantly against diluting
Ivomec out for these types of extralabel useages.
 
>From:    [log in to unmask]
>Subject: New Fuzzies/Questions for Shelter Owners & Vets
>I am pleased to announce our first adoptions:
>Baby, a beautiful 4yo sable who is a very fat girl, and Blizzard, a 6yo
 
The adrenal surgey is techically difficult due to the small size of
structures involved.  If your vet is well versed in atypical surgeries,
there should be no problems.  Also remember that post-operative nursing care
(including incubator) is an important aspect.
 
Force feeding Blizzard is an option to correct her skinny size. Duck soup
works well.
 
>From:    Harold Hawn <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: We Love Our Ferrets
>I also have a question for the vet.  I have heard quite a lot of debate
>over rabies shots.  Should they be give "dead rabies", or "live rabies"
>vacination?  I would really like to know the answer, why, and what the
>difference is.  Thanks ahead of time.
 
Vaccines are made from a variety of ways.  Dead virus vaccines are where the
virus has been killed (usually chemically) and the virus cannot become
deadly to the pet vaccinated.  Modified live virus (MLV) vaccines are when
the virus is grown in an abnormal media to cause the virus not to cause
clinical disease in the pet when vaccinated.  MLV vaccines might, under
certain circumstances, revert to original virus and cause disease.  This is
not something you want witrh Rabies vaccines.  Almost all Rabies vaccines
are now killed virus vaccines.
 
MLV vaccines typically elicit a more stronger and longer lasting immunity
than killed vaccines so some diseases are better protected against with MLV
vaccines.
 
>From:    sibretz kralmbeque <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: toxoplasmosis and wallabies
>Is it possible for a ferret to give another animal toxoplasmosis?
 
Ferrets can carry toxoplasmosis and may spread it to other animals. The few
wallabys I have examined have been in zoos so I cannot answer your other
questions.
 
>From:    Debbie Riccio <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: DR WILLIAMS/low glucose question
>Is it possible for ferrets to have low glucose levels for other reasons
 
Blood glucose depends on three large catergories: intake of glucose
generating substances (carbohydrates, sugars, etc.), insulin and consumption
of glucose.  Consumption can be altered by illness, thyroid disease, etc.
The fourth reason for a low sugar is lab error.  The most common is not
promptly separating the red blood cells from the serum (red blood cells
consume glucose in the blood collection tube).
 
The body does have a great compensatory and reaction ability and wants to
maintain the glucose around 100.  If there is no evidence of other disease,
consider that a glucose consistently under 60 is probably due to an
insulinoma.
 
>From:    Lea Statler <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Need info....Please
>I took Charlie to the vet today and he has an infiction in his lungs.  Well,
>they took X-rays, and the vet told me that his heart is a little rounder
>than it should be and that the wall of his intestines are thicker than they
 
Depends on how round round is. If your vet has a concern, I recommend an
ultrasound.
 
>From:    aylasaur <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Update on Urgent Trouble
>I just called my husband, who is at the vet's with Molly.  Dr. Daldin said
>that it was not a gastrointestinal infection/blockage as the other vet had
 
I think there was a post from Dr. Williams a few months back about a 6 month
period of shedding the virus in the stool.
 
>From:    Steve Cloutier <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Insuloma treatment
>I have a 5 1/2 year old descented and nuetered male ferret that is
>exhibiting hair loss in a pattern I believe symptomatic of adrenal insuloma.
>The vet took a urine sample today for a cortisol/creatinine (I think) ratio
 
I believe you are probably talking about an adrenal tumor causing
hyperadrenocorticism and not an insulinoma, which is a tumor of the pancreas
causing low blood sugar.  The drug you refer to is mitotane (brand name
Lysodren) and it selectively destroys adrenal tissue.  Check out the FAQ on
adrenal disease or have your vet give me a telephone call (I am in the AVMA
directory) for details.
 
>From:    Mary Allen <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Medical Question
>I would really appreciate any advice possible about a problem Merritt
>has been having.
 
Was the adrenal gland biopsied and confirmed to have adrenal disease?
Prednisone will cause increase urine volumes and increased urination. What
was the specific gravity of the urine? Prednisone can also cause fur not to
grow back.
 
Hormonal changes can cause behavioral changes. I have seen males with adrenal
disease be more domineering but it seems yours has happened the other way
around.
 
>From:    Carla Smith <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: VET QUESTION
>Front page article in Thursday morning's El Paso Times:
>PARVO VIRUS STRIKES EL PASO DOGS AGAIN  by Bernadette Self
 
No.
 
Mike Dutton, DVM, DABVP
Weare Animal Hospital
Weare, NH.
[Posted in FML issue 1524]