Greetings from Fritter in her private hospital ward  (the  master
bathroom)  with  its  many  toys and plates of treats.  Greetings
also from Hjalmar and Meltdown who are asleep hugging each other,
and  Ruffle  who  is  rearranging toys among the hammock, hanging
boxes, and water bottle.
 
The reasons we will be testing for Aleutian is because  there  is
some  evidence that it may be able to increase a ferret's chances
of developing lymphosarcoma or chronically  enlarged  spleen  and
both  have  been  seen  in our critters.  Caused by a parvovirus,
Aleutian is known to be found in mink, ferrets, skunks, raccoons,
and  foxes.   Symptoms  can  include  persistent  infection, mild
lesions showing microscopic tissue changes (histopathologic), and
an  increased  amount  of  immunoglobulins in the blood.  In some
cases general malaise and weight loss  have  been  seen.   A  New
Zealand  study  of  severe  symptoms which sometimes happen found
(among others) pregressive posterior paralysis,  muscle  wasting,
urinary  incontinence, temors, lesions of the meninges (membranes
which cover brain and spinal cord),  and  death  precipitated  by
added stresses.  In ferrets it can enlarge the thymus, and infect
liver  as well as enlarging the spleen, inflamming  lymph  nodes,
and setting up damage in kidneys, lungs, and muscle tissue of the
heart.  Usually in ferrets  severe  symptoms  are  not  seen  and
progression  of  the  disease is slow compared with other animals
such as mink.  There are tests but the antibody  test  for  minks
does  not  always  work  in ferrets so histopathologic testing of
target areas  such  as  lymph  nodes  or  target  organs  may  be
necessary.
 
Spontaneous appearance of Aleutian has  been  seen  in  colonies,
very  likely  because it does have so many possible carriers that
it is not uncommon  in  the  environment.   Spreading  can  occur
through most bodily fluids or waste.  Because it is rather common
among ranched mink avoidance of ferrets raised near mink has been
mentioned as a precaution.
 
As of the publication of Fox's BIOLOGY AND DISEASES OF THE FERRET
by  Lea  and  Febiger  in  1988 (James G. Fox, DVM is Director of
Comparative Medicine at MIT and book is  HIGHLY  recommended)  no
treatments   or  vaccines  were  known.   Supportive  therapy  as
symptoms arise is advised with a guarded prognosis given.
 
We do not know any figures on rate at which  this  parvovirus  is
seen in ferrets.  As of a few years ago it sounded like there was
great room for  study  on  the  topic:   for  instance,  does  it
actually  make  lymphosarcoma  more likely and if so by how much,
can a vaccine and/or treatment be developed, why do a few animals
have such severe symptoms, which (of many possible) sterilization
methods  for  environment  work  and  which  are   possible   for
homeowners  to  use,  how long does Aleutian survive in different
conditions found in the home (i.e. tile floor, linoleum, bedding,
carpets, cages, etc.?
 
Life is going well here.  Just got Frit through another virus and
she's  back  to  hiding  mousies and playing catch me if you can.
It's amazing how much progress has happened in treating cancer in
ferrets  in  just  a  few years.  Four years ago we lost Helix in
only a few weeks, but with Frit we are looking at  possible  long
term  survival  which seems to have very little pain.  Of course,
when she indicates that it is time to give up we'll help her  out
with that but at this point we have a cancer patient who has been
around with it for almost 10  weeks  and  is  still  dancing  and
pigging out.
 
Have you noticed that big ferret sneezes before head rubbings and
face washings push extra musk from the ear glands?  Just put your
face next to an ear when it happens.
 
BTW, if your ferret ever has a persistent and bad  runs  after  a
long  course  of  antibiotics  the needed intestinal bacteria may
have been killed off.  We've found that (just as in humans) a bit
of yogurt with active cultures can correct the problem.
 
[As an addenda, one time when Nicia was sick, she went on
rather strong antibiotics, seemed better, but wasn't putting
weight back on and was remaining rather lethargic.  We figgered
that the antibiotic might be upsetting her stomach, so after
a quick consult with the vet, we discontinued the medication,
and she bounced right back up to the weight she should have been.
Turns out the antibiotic is known to cause stomach upsets in
some animals.  I can look up the name of the antibiotic if
anyone's interested]
 
 
The Weasels Crandall [log in to unmask]
                                                                          
[Posted in FML 0154]