We've got a virus sorta meandering through our shelter and while it has
virtually no ill effects on the health of the majority of the ferrets, we
are concerned about the long term effects.  Whatever it is was brought in by
some boarders several months back and hasn't gone away.  It involves loosely
formed stools in the initial stage and then grainy stools with strands of
what looks like mucous in them.  We had a fecal culture done and the results
looked like this:
 
Culture Routine: fecal
Light growth normal flora.
Gram stain shows mixed gram pos. and neg. organisms.
Numerous clostridial rods seen on gram smear.
smear and culture indicate >90% gram-positive organisms.
Possible superinfection?
No salmonella or other enteric pathogens isolated.
 
Everyone is eating, drinking, playing etc just fine.  No weight loss except
in a couple of ferrets, and only minor at that.  No green stools or anything
like that.  We have treated with a number of medications and are now
embarking on a course of Flagyl.  Vets - any ideas as to what this could be
and how we could eradicate it?
 
Sheena
Wherret Ferrets Halfway House and Ferretry
Ferret Association of Greater Vancouver
[Posted in FML issue 1642]