Hi!
I'm a new FML subscriber, a veterinarian from Australia.  I have had a
puzzling case that I would welcome comment on.
 
My nurse is crazy about ferrets.  She bought 2 kits (littermates), 6 weeks
old.  They seemed fine - bright, active, etc.  Clinical exams normal.  I
tested a scat out of interest & found low numbers of coccidia eggs.
 
She put them in a "ferretarium" she had built to a design published by our
resident Australian ferret vet.  They were fed properly, seemed fine.  She
would bring them to work, so I saw them frequently.
 
One month later, one of the kits was found out of his nest on the floor,
but not out of the ferretarium. he was blue & barely breathing. She got
him breathing better, warmed him up, & brought him straight in to work.
 
On examination he was collapsed, nearly comatose, moderately dehydrated,
with subnormal temperature.  His scats had turned to a darker pasty
consistency, and on testing had coccidial eggs again in slightly higher
numbers than previously.  (She had been advised to give some medication
after the first test, but had not done so).
 
He was treated with intraosseous fluids and other medications, put on a
warming pad. We never saw any improvement, and later on in the day he
developed twitching & died suddenly.
 
The autopsy was unenlightening.  I sent multiple organs to the pathologist,
and all I got back were agonal changes with low numbers of coccidia in the
inestine walls.  The results did not indicate any cause of death.
 
After discussing it with colleagues here with ferret interests, I am no
wiser as to the cause of death. My thoughts are -
 
1. Something toxic - My nurse is most particular about their diet.  It is
excellent, and there would be no spoilt food.  There had not been any sprays
or baits used in her house at all.
 
2. Something metabolic - could be.  I don't think it would have been low
blood sugar because I gave him dextrose in the same relative dose that I
would have given a hypoglycaemic Chihuahua pup.  Something else likely?  -
this is what I hope to find out.
 
3. Body organ syndrome - the only organ I didn't look at was the brain.
Maybe it was a sudden onset neurological thing.  The rest of the path was
unremarkable.  Maybe the pathologist didn't know what to look for.  I have
E-Mailed the Armed Services (USA) ferret vet whose name I found on the FML,
but so far he hasn't replied.
 
I found the FML, and other great sites, by putting the words "ferret
diseases" into the Yahoo search engine.  I am a new FML subscriber, and I
am most impressed by the activity and interaction of the ferret owners in
the US.  We have a vastly different scene here, ferrets haven't become as
popular as in the US.  Our knowledge is subsequently less, and management
different.  However, I have learned much already by reading the FML.
 
If anyone would have any ideas on this case, I, and my nurse (who is
heartbroken) would greatly appreciate your advice.
 
Marshall Thornton
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[Posted in FML issue 2332]