In humans some of the complications from shiga toxins actually increase with the use of antibiotics, and the primary treatment for this disease which kills many who get it and leaves many others with permanent damage is HYDRATION, HYDRATION AND MORE HYDRATION. IV is the ferrets' dear friend. So are sub-cu fluids. So is loads and loads and loads of drinking water. (Yes, I did a lot of reading today and expect to do more.) I do not know if meds like Procrit or Epogen could help at all, nor if things that are used as gentle clot promotors in humans (like vitamin K) may be of help. Ask the treating vet. BTW, grapeseed reduces clotting in a related member of Carnivora so may be a bad choice for that reason and well as the aforementioned concern: http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/132/12/3592 Here is a FREE JOURNAL ARTICLE ON THE TYPES OF HEMOLYTIC E.COLI FOUND IN FERRETS: http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/content/full/42/12/5904?view=long&pmid=15583337 also found at http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/reprint/42/12/5904 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC535218/?tool=pubmed Kidney woes in ferrets even when shiga toxin problems are survived: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11865409 Deaths in BFFs from E. coli: http://www.jwildlifedis.org/cgi/reprint/37/3/617 Bleach all litter pots and then dry them throughly. Basically, I am afraid that you are up against something likely to take a high toll and beyond hydration there is little that you can do which has proven benefits when cases are looked at in general if this is really what is going on. I'm so very, very sorry to not have better news for you. Now, there normally are typical E. coli strains to be found in ferrets, so it pays to have one of the best labs look at specimens because there are some species sizes of coccidia (which also cause potentially fatal intestinal bleeding) that too many labs just don't look for (and I do know of homes and shelters with many ferrets lost because of the failure of other labs to look for the smaller types of coccidia). Recommended: http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ or this one: http://www.zoopath.com/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YPG590 On a magnification too many labs and vet hospitals do NOT use for ferrets: http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL9021 More of coccidia: http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL9527 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL9496 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG17961 Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/ http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html all ferret topics: http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html "All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow." (2010, Steve Crandall) [Posted in FML 6785]
