Jessica, Justine, and Hal:
 
I have had problems with chronic ECE in my own house, and 4 of mine appear
to have permanent intestinal damage.
 
They would routinely have loose, non-formed, smelly stools, occasionally
sparked with green slime.  My vet suggested I use longterm Centrine (1/4 tab
2x/day, then we were able to wean down to 1x/day) and they slowly gained
some weight.
 
I found that feeding Totally Ferret straight - not mixed with anything -
worked the best.  I had 4 - 5 lb ferrets drop down to 1.8 lb.  While on
straight TF, they gained weight - 3.8 lb and some even went to 4 lb.  The
problem is, they are used to getting a variety of blends in their diet, and
after a few months, refused to eat straight TF any longer.  My vet thought
it the fat content might be too high in some of the foods, and suggested I
try a lite diet.  So, now they eat a blend of TF, Proplan Feline Lite, 8 in
1 Ferret Ultrablend Diet, and Proplan Turkey/Barley.  Their stools were not
as formed on this mix as they were on straight TF.
 
BTW, while they were on straight TF, I did not need to use Centrine AT ALL!!
 
My ferrets have all broken with repeat of bouts of ECE each summer since 93.
I do not take my ferrets to ferret functions, and they have had no exposure
to strange ferrets.  However, occasionally, humans from previously-infected
ECE households do come to my home, and I attribute this exposure to the most
recent outbreak.  A course of Baytril and Centrine seems to have done the
trick for the chronic problem ferrets.  While the rest did have green slime,
it was not bad enough for medication.  I attribute this to the fact that
after 2 bad outbreaks (93 and 94), their systems have finally developed some
antibodies to ECE, hence the relatively mild cases (as compared to previous
years).
 
For the time being, I am continuing Centrine, 1/4 tab once a day, for those
with intestinal damage.  It apparently slows down the system enough so that
some food is absorbed, and they have finally started gaining some weight.
 
It breaks my heart to read about new ECE cases.....it seems they're coming in
almost daily now.
 
The above comments are based soley on ECE experiences in my house.  I have
come to believe that 4 of my ferrets will never be well again as they were
prior to ECE exposure.  I believe they will have GI problems for the
remainder of their lives.
 
It seems apparent that previous ideas about totally immunity once exposed
is not a true theory.  So I doubt there is any advantage to purposely
exposing young ferrets (as has been suggested by some) to ECE to "let them
get it and get over it."
 
Those of us who have had it should take PRECAUTIONS!  Clean yourself up
before going to ferret homes.  Shower, clean clothes, bleach your shoes.
Yes, it's a pain in the butt to have to do that all the time - especially if
you're on your 2nd or 3rd shower for the day - but it's certainly much
safer.
 
Debbie Riccio
WNYFLFA
Rochester, NY
[Posted in FML issue 1288]