Q:"....Are there are symptoms I should be on guard for? I don't want to be
   one of those over-protective moms, but what should I know?
 
A: Ok, you should know you must test everything.  Discard the bad, keep the
good.  Unless the bad is a naughty lady in a red dress, then keep her.  You
ladies will have to come up with your own bad thing to keep.
 
I am not a vet, so what I think is important may not be important to them.
Also, my list of symptoms requiring vet care is based on *MY* personal
experiences, and other people may have a different list.  I urge vets and
ferret owners to post their own lists for all to learn.  Perhaps a
synthesis of all of our lists could be placed at Ferret Central or
somewhere similar.  Mine are not listed in any particular order, nor are
they all I can come up with.  They are just a dozen I think are important.
 
01. Non-seasonal weight loss.  Get a scale and weigh your ferrets at least
month (better if weekly).  Many diseases, including cancers and adrenal
disease, cause gradual weight loss.  Since time directly correlates to
disease survivability, and weight loss is perhaps one of the first symptoms
of disease, knowing a ferret's weight can result in speedy diagnosis and
treatment.  See a vet, and bring the weight records.
 
02. Non-seasonal hair loss.  Stress, adrenal disease, cancer, and other
diseases can cause unexplained hair loss.  See a vet to make sure.
 
03. Blood in stool.  Fresh blood (looks red in the poopie) can be from
anything from a minor irritation to lower bowel cancer.  Old blood (makes
the poopie very dark [or tarry], stink bad, and stain) can mean ulcers, a
sick bowel, or cancers.  Since ferrets don't have a lot of blood, ANY
bleeding lasting more than a day or two can be serious and should be
evaluated by a vet.
 
04. Confusion or stumbling.  This is a serious sign of some sort of
nervous system problem, ranging from rabies to distemper, from stroke to
a bruised brain, or even a pancreatic disorder.  See a vet immediately.
 
05. Unexplained panting.  Ferrets pant when hot to lose heat or to get
oxygen during heavy exercise.  They do not normally pant otherwise.  A
ferret resting in a cool room should not be panting.  It could mean a
lung problem, anemia, or high temperature.  See a vet.
 
06. Refusal to eat.  Ferrets are born with a HEALTHY appetite.  Any refusal
to eat is serious and it could mean a blockage.  Watch for poopie and
collect any that you are sure came from the ferret.  Ferrets will stop
eating for a number of reasons, but blockage of the bowel is painfully
serious and only gets worse.  Grinding teeth is a pain indicator, but is
not necessarily diagnostic of specific disorders.  See a vet.  DO NOT WAIT!
 
07. Paralysis. Can be from mechanical injury, cancer, or low blood sugar
(look for drooling and weakness which could mean low blood sugar).  Any
paralysis should be immediately evaluated by a vet, even if it goes away.
 
08. Pale gums, lips, toe webbing, tongue or nose.  Can indicate anemia.
Look for signs of blueness in these tissues, and if you suspect the color
is off, compare it to similar tissue in a healthy ferret.  See your vet
and report your observations.  Anemia can result from ovarian tissue left
behind during spaying, internal or GI bleeding, cancers, and poor diet.
 
09. Abdominal pain.  Can be hard to notice in stoic ferrets.  Abdominal
pain could mean almost anything from cancer to severe bowel or abdominal
infections.  "Guarding" is the obvious symtom, which in ferrets is seen as
a "curling" or "rigidity" when you pick them up (they lift their legs and
hold their abdomen rigid, rather than letting them hang relaxed), but
whimpering and/or grinding teeth is also a sign.  Sometimes, they just walk
funny, like they don't want to move their middle.  If the ferret whimpers
and guards, consider it an emergency; don't wait for it to go away.
 
10. Any lack of response.  I'm not talking about SND (sleeping not dead)
episodes, but a lack of response to stimuli.  Ferrets are extremely alert
animals and a lack of response is usually indicative of something bad,
usually a disorder of the nervous or sensory systems.  Can be nothing more
than low blood suger, but you never know.
 
11. Discolored urine.  Green urine can indicate liver problems, bloody
urine can be from stones or kidney disease, sugary urine can be from
pancreatic problems.  Infections can turn the urine cloudy or dark.  Severe
infections can result in a discharge of pus.  Sometimes, the fur will be
discolored around the urethra, or pus or blood will be present.
 
12. Lumps.  Lumps under the skin, in the belly, on the head, even near the
anus can be infections, tumors, or worse.  If the lump is painful to touch
or grows rapidly, suspect injuries or infections.  Non-painful lumps are
usually tumors, and in many cases are not life-threatening.  Lumps on legs
or tails often due to injuries and can result from fractures or bleeding
under the skin.  While many lumps do not require immediate vet care, the
ones resulting from injuries or infections do.
 
Obviously, a lot more can be added to this list (for example, I did not
mention obvious skeletal injuries or falls to hard surfaces).  I did the
first dozen, you vets and other experienced ferret owners should improve
upon it so we all can learn.  Ok, so *I* can learn.
 
Bob C and 16 Mo' Sofa Sharks of Symptomology (Missing the 3)
[Posted in FML issue 2725]