1.I have a question about ECE.  I know my guys had it 3/00, when 4 new ones
came in about 2 weeks later they had diarrhea one or two days, one was sick
for 6 weeks before he recovered.  That was 10/00.  I have 4 "rescues" now
and they are here 6 weeks, 2 weeks with the others and no one has diarrhea.
Can they still get the ECE even after 2 weeks, and if they don't can they
carry it to another home if I place them even if they never had any
diarrhea?
 
2. I would think that a natural diet and lots of exercise would make a
ferret healthier and possibly live longer.  This would be true for us
humans, although certain genetic things would come up no matter what.  I
am thinking that since cats and dogs are on kibble, and not hunting,etc,
like they would in the wild are they dying sooner then those fed all
natural foods?  I once heard that animals that live completely in the wild,
like a feral cat would actually die a lot sooner than one in someone's home
getting proper shelter and vet care.
 
On early neuter/spay recently there was some talk about doing this to
cats and dogs, my kitten couldn't be released to me from the local humane
society until he was neutered.  They neutered him at 8 weeks old.  If
this becomes more of a practice we may see in a few years if there is any
adverse affect, like more problems with tumors,etc.  Of course, I don't
like the idea of my cat being a "guinea pig"- no pun intended for all of
those guinea pig lovers.
 
3. I posted about a little girl (Missy Cantina) with the low blood glucose
and severe anemia- seems the CBC was inaccurate and she isn't that anemic.
Her mucous membranes are pale not white, and she is much more active and
alert now after the prednisone.  I will give an update next week after our
trip to the vet for more tests.  For now, presumptive diagnosis is
Insulinoma.  Thank you Dr. Williams, Dr. Ball and others who e-mailed me
with suggestions and advice- I stopped panicking enough to see that the
ferret was not that pale, as would be indicated by that horrible CBC.
 
4. I had a great time at the WarmFuzzy show, I went with my friends
Kristeen, Cali, and Patti from MetroFerret and met a lot of great people
including Kim from KiSta, Barbara from Rocky's shelter, Mary and Eric
from Modern Ferret, and many more .  I am waiting for the next show.
 
Patty
[Posted in FML issue 3319]