Gerald, I am glad that Spaz is doing fine now.  Talk about raising
people's epinephrin levels!
 
It is best for everyone to always have these numbers handy, and not
only on the computer:
 
>Payment is on a case by case basis so retain the case number at
>Animal Poison Control.
>
> ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center's emergency hotline at
> (888) 426-4435
> Angell Memorial Animal Medical Center Pet Poison Hotline
> 1-877-2ANGELL (1-877-226-4355)
 
When a pill poisoning happens having the ingredients and manufacturer's
contact info help.
 
With plants bringing the name of the plant and a sample so it can be
looked up, can help.
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=apcc
and
http://www.petco.com/travel/travel_article.asp?articleid=1438&tab=8
and I know there was another -- I think from a university site -- but
I can't find it right now
 
 ---
Tessa, I have read of something like 4 or 5 cases where ferrets roused
people during house fires.
 
I am sure that I would have told people about this already.  This
Spring one of our ferrets, Hilbert, became my hero.  Our furnace had
malfunctioned and our home was gathering fumes.  My husband was away
on an early morning walk, but had left Hilbert out because he is so
trustworthy.  I was still asleep when my asthma kicked in.  Hilbert
woke me up and made me get up.  That allowed me to clear my head enough
to turn off the furnace, open windows, and run all ventilation fans.
What can I say?  Hilbert watches over me and he repays love and care for
him with love and care from him.
 
Ferrets save lives in multiple ways.
 
  ---
By taking care of him well I assume that means vet care.  If a large
amount of weight is lost without an easily found cause with the usual
tests, then the vet should consider an cardiac ultrasound to see if
medicating for the hypertrophic form of cardiomyopathy may be needed.
There can be other causes, of course, but this one is hard to spot.
 
  ---
Grain like feces are lipid balls:  undigested fat.  It tends to
indicate trouble in the small intestine as can happen with ECE.
ECE info:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/ECE/ECE.html
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG17970
 
There are reasons to think that ECE may be out of North America now.
Samples are under study.  Those elsewhere need to learn about it in
case they face it.  In the U.S., too, many don't realize that it seems
to appear regionally in waves (explanation is in a past post from Dr.
Bruce Williams which can be found through the second link above) nor
that milder illnesses which have been mistakenly called "ECE" have
led to some people not realizing how severe true ECE is.
 
 ---
Thank you so much, Bill, for using the replacement post when spacings
on a message i sent out yesterday were messed up in every place that
received it.
 
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my
private posts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love
them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5316]