http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ColdandFluNews/story?id=5983987&page=1 Remember: ferrets get and share influenza and bacterial sinus infections with humans, they can get some other things including allergies and pneumonia (in fact, something like 3 ferrets in the last month have been noted with that on the FML and FHL, and sadly at least one -- may have been private -- who had respiratory at first as is quite common with CDV, too, had Canine Distemper so it is good that ferret was tested for CDV promptly). BUT remember that ferrets do NOT get colds. See these past expert posts from ferret veterinary pathologist, Dr. Bruce Williams (whose specialty and expertise is such that his comments on this have to be taken most seriously, meaning people need to realize that those others without such expertise probably encountered something like a bacterial sinus infection or other things in a ferret then used the word too broadly): http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG2137 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG10945 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG9530 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG4054 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG4053 So, take respiratory illnesses in ferrets seriously enough. They tend to get past flu well enough usually (though long ago we had one with a dangerously high fever from that), but they can get pneumonia with only minor symptoms showing. Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 6119]
