Any unusual, pronounced, or continual cough in a ferret calls for a vet
exam with x-ray.
 
No, they do not get true colds, as per ferret veterinary pathology
expert Dr. Bruce Williams.
 
The DO get some MORE SERIOUS things which can be confused with true
colds.
 
True colds are caused by rhinoviruses and since they are viruses
antibiotics don't work for them.
 
Sometimes the word "cold" is used as a broad catch-all but that could
be a dangerous habitual mis-use for ferrets because it can lead to not
realizing that some of their respiratory illnesses can become serious
quite rapidly.
 
Ferrets instead get sinus infections -- which tend to be bacterial so
they respond to antibiotics nicely as long as the bacterium infecting
isn't resistant to the antibiotic used.   Anyone who has had some can
tell you that before a person gets used to thinking in terms of sinus
infections or before they get really painful it is easy to confuse them
with colds.
 
They also get Influenza A, and as long as it isn't severe a ferret will
get past that just as a human will.
 
They get pneumonia and even get pleurisy, and these are at times very
well hidden until they become life-threatening.  We've had one with a
tiny cough (but she was someone who never coughed, plus she did her
"I'm not feeling well, Mom." thing of gently holding my big toe in her
mouth.  She sounded fine, too, but when she was x-rayed she had severe
pneumonia and severe pleurisy and could have soon died without very
aggressive treatment.  The thing is that she sounded so good that
the vet then did the x-ray only because we insisted on it, knowing
Meeteetse and how her little on and off cough just was not like her.
That is what saved her life so that she could go on to have several
more years of life.
 
Ferrets will choke-cough if they eat too fast.
 
They also sneeze and blow their noses not only to get dust out of their
noses, but also to dislodge musk from glands which are behind and
slightly below their ears, and then they spread the musk around their
faces.
 
Air conditioning can also dry the air and that itself can cause
coughing or sneezing.
 
They also have been known to sometimes (rarely) get allergies; we had
one with asthma who reacted to a number of pollens.
 
Heart disease such as cardiomyopathy can cause a cough as sometimes
can other causes of ascites and edema.
 
Juvenile Lymphoma can cause a cough, sometimes other lymphoma types
can, too.
 
On very rare occasion a ferret with adrenal neoplasia will get fat in
the thoracic cavity and cough from that.
 
(X-rays to look for lung disease is the cough warrants those can
usually also spot heart disease and often also spot JL.)
 
It is better to check and then be relieved if nothing bad is found than
it is to not jump fast when jumping is needed to save a life.  With
coughing in ferrets the rule of thumb is "When in doubt be extra
careful.".  So, if you are in doubt...
[Posted in FML issue 4591]