Important thing first: if a ferret is coughing or hacking you need to get
it to the vet ASAP and have a complete physical.  We tend to insist on
chest x-rays in that situation, primarily because of cardiomyopathy but
secondarily due to possible lung infections.  This is a "the sooner the
better", preferably yesterday or earlier thing.  (Yes, asthma can happen in
ferrets but it's not too common from what I've seen, and you NEED to catch
the serious possible causes as early as possible.)
 
Sneezing can be from a variety of things.  One is yet another normal
behavior.  Ferrets tend to "face wash" in a very special way; some do it
openly but a lot are private about it.  First they hold their nose long
enough to force a sneeze; this pushes extra musk from the glands on the
head (Smell them near their ears right after a sneeze some time.).  Then
they use their hands (sometimes licked, sometimes not) to rub this scent
forward onto the face.
 
A person has the responsibility to find an excellent vet who discusses
all options with her or him -- discouraging or encouraging ones as is
appropriate; that's a given.  When that vet is found then THAT VET is going
to be the one who best knows the history and special considerations for the
INDIVIDUAL ferret; THAT is why people should choose carefully and then
discuss things with their OWN vets rather than make a choice based upon
what another's vet did for a different individual, or (worse) based upon
what a non-vet did with a different individual.  Frankly, I think that's
just common sense.  If the vet being used can't be trusted to behave
appropriately, learn, and teach then the person should find a different vet
who can be accorded that trust and respect.  Hey, I've got high standards
and they are being met, okay?  <G>
 
Just an FYI, unless things have changed the HSCs are within each SUNY
Medical School.  Used to work and study in a dept. in one.
 
Wishing, Megan!
 
Genetics might also play a role in whether a ferret individual is prone to
anaphalatic shock allergic reactions (the bad vaccine reactions) since it
does for humans.  The two we had who reacted extremely were also two of
the three with cardiomyopathy, and all three of those were from the same
breeder before that breeder widened the genetic pool.
 
Great posts, Bohr, but now I am sad.  Does this mean that
ferret-kiss-craving people can't declare to keyboard-dancing ferrets; "I
mus tell-a you this: Decide: puter 'r us!" Now we are just left to mutter
during mouse cleanings "Fur!  Oh!"
 
MFs: we have also found that in our personal experience they are pretty
much the same as the average ferret healthwise.  That doesn't mean there
are not some breeders with healthier ones because from what I have read
there are a few.  You need to find out range of life spans, mean life
spans, how diligent tracking is, and answers to other logical breeding
questions.
 
Scent (paraphrased from years ago): "Oh, this?  It's a gift, natural musk
rather than the fake stuff, very valuable and exotic."
 
Melissa: Yuck!
 
Bob's stinky four and solutions: snip, snip, snip, snip!
 
You also mentioned Don King, Bohr.  Is that why ferrets piloerect in that
situation?
 
Does anyone else have ferrets which like to listen to the Cernettes?
>http://sgvenus.cern.ch/musiclub/cernettes/lhc.html (If it's up again you
>can test it on your furries; just a little while ago it was down for some
>reason.)
[Posted in FML issue 2570]