Rudy: in answer to your question about ECE and prednisone I have a few
comments to add.  This is something I've wondered about for quite a long
time...I suffer from Crohn's disease which is a wonderful auto-immune
disease which attacks the entire digestive system (especially the
intestines).  When this is full blown I have to take prednisone to combat
the various symptoms and to get me back into remission.  It stands to
reason that while you are on prednisone you wouldn't be affected (or at
least not badly) by something like (the big "D" as we Crohn's suffers like
to call it) or ECE which is somewhat similar, since the prednisone is the
very medication you're on to stop it.  Crohn's also severely dehydrates us
and I've had to go into the hospital and be put on IVs for days at a time
until the prednisone kicks in.  From a human standpoint I hate prednisone
and usually wait until the bitter end before having to take the stuff since
I dislike the side effects but it does clear up the intestional track
disorders and the dehydration.
 
     I've suspected for a long time that prednisone could be a deterrent
to ECE but since I'm not a vet I can't say for sure.  I know a lot of the
symptons are similar but Crohn's isn't contagious (heredity maybe) and
the cause is unknown even though doctors have known about it for over a
hundred years.  Maybe Dr. Williams could look into the benefits of
prednisone as a treatment or preventative in ferrets (especially the
older ones on whom ECE hits the hardest.)  I've heard other incidences
where the ferret was already on prednisone following adrenal surgery and
wasn't affected, or only slightly when ECE was present in the house.
 
diane (and bill) killian
zen and the art of ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 1260]