Hello again to all and thank you for the replies to my questions about
aging ferrets and Martin's cages!  Now, I've got a problem...
 
Sandy is a one-year-old small (1 pound 3 ounce) female that just won't
stop coughing.  She has coughed on and off since I got her (six months
ago), and I just thought she ate too fast or just had hairball problems
(gave her more lax).  But, Tuesday night into Wednesday morning she
coughed for up to two minutes straight every hour and a half -- this went
on for twelve hours.  A bit of Ferretin or lax would help a bit.
 
I took her to a vet that Wednesday morning (my vet is out of town until
Sunday), but although he "claimed" over the phone to know a lot about
ferrets, have a lot of experience, and be able to do blood work and such,
none of that was true.  He kept me there for nearly two hours and then
said he didn't think he could treat my ferret.  He sent me home with some
Clavamox antibiotic for the ferret he wasn't even sure was sick.  I've
been giving her the antibiotic every twelve hours anyway.  The caughing
has decreased somewhat.
 
I have been trying to rule out any environmental causes in the apartment.
She has been in a complete seperate room from the others that sports an
ionic air filter and this particular room does not get a draft from the
other rooms (other than air conditioning).  She has been away from
litter, fuzzy hammocks, and her other five fuzzy friends.
 
My vet will be back early this coming week and I want to have in mind how
to proceed with him.  He is still a new vet to me, but I can't get the
120+ miles to Raleigh to go to the reputable vets there.  My instincts
say do blood work and x-rays as well as an exam.  Could she have
underdeveloped lungs?  I swear her coughing sounds like human athesma
sometimes.  Her whole body shakes uncontrolably while she is coughing.
She's still eating and pooping good though, but she is liking to be held
more which is an un-Sandy-like trait.  Any ideas folks?
 
From:
Lori & Rat's Brats
[Posted in FML issue 4269]