This post from Digest 43 is only one of many excellent ones on dealing with ECE: Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2001 05:48:11 -0000 Subject: Re: ECE treatment (New member intro) --- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Mike Janke" <mjanke@m...> wrote: >I have to agree that supportive care for ECE is the most important >thing one MUST do to help a ferret survive this nasty disease. > >While antibiotics are useful for the first week, I don't believe >Flagyl provides enough benefit to outweigh the stress of giving it. >For the really severe cases, pred often helped too. I've got to go with Mike on this one. The reason that we give antibiotics in ferrets with ECE is not to treat anything, but to prevent a secondary bacterial infection. In some facilities, we have seen a concomitant pathogenic E. coli infection cause significant mortality spikes. So for that first week, antibiotics are usually given. My choice is Amoxicillin. Flagyl is a poor antibiotic for most opportunistic bacteria. The bad taste associated with it may cause significant stress. The down side of stress ulcers greatly outweighs any benefit, so we just go with Amoxi - it does very nicely. I also discourage the use of Pepcid or cimetidine for ECE ferrets with concomitant ulcers. Coronavirus infection (ECE) causes significant digestive imbalances, and the worst ECE cases are seen in animals with advanced Helicobacter cases - (this is why the disease is worse in older animals.) An older animal with ECE, or with ECE and Helicobacter, already suffers from maldigestion, which is only worsened by further increasing the pH of the stomach. Carafate will usually achieve the proper effect if administered 10 minutes prior to meals and will not further the maldigestion seen in older ECE ferrets. Pepcid is not without its uses - but I tend to restrict it to younger ferrets with obvious stress related ulcers, when it's use will not adversely impact a GI tract already compromised by chronic Helicobacter or ECE. With kindest regards, Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP Join the Ferret Health List at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list [Posted in FML issue 3350]