>My 2 guys Frankie and Poncho, especially Poncho, were thin and it turned >out to be inflammatory bowel disease. Which is easily treated with >Imuran, which is not expensive and a good thing too because they will be >on it the rest of their lives. Don't forget, though, that Imuran is a very serious immuno-suppressant chemotherapy med which is why some ferrets are removed from it once stabilized if possible, and others are first tried on safer alternatives like Prednisone. Fortunately, things like modest doses of Prednisone do work for a number, but sadly, not all do control well enough to not always have to have Imuran. Our Scooter is among those who need Imuran and an antibiotic for control. >I've got two questions. First of all, my youngest (10 months) appears >to have a cold. If you check what veterinary pathologists have written ferrets don't get human "colds" (rhinoviruses) though they DO get some other infections that are easy to think are colds when they are mild such as bacterial sinus infections and influenza. We avoid OTCs; if you get one with the wrong additives the result can be fatal with things like liver damage as happens with Tylenol's case of drugs. One safe thing that can help increase comfort is steam -- just be careful to not get the ferret too close or keep the ferret there very long (burn and hyperthermia dangers so common sense will work perfectly). Your ferrets are up to date on canine distemper vaccines, right? That can start with crusty eyes and nose. >Hey folks , how many of you have had a ferret die in your arms from a >distemper vaccination? Probably a lot fewer than have had ones have reactions and then been healed. In humans -- for whom rates of survival after treatment for anaphylactic shock are kept -- survival over 95% when treated in a timely fashion if memory serves (since Steve and I both react in that way to multiple things we stay aware...). (BTW, this is why your allergist has you stick around for 20 minutes after a shot and has you report any reactions or tiredness promptly for meds if you react during that time or after.) We have had a number of ferrets with allergies to Fervac, to Galaxy, or to both. None died though some came close and such individuals stopped having vaccinations though the rest still got them. Of course, this is one of the reasons for the development of the important new vaccine: Merial's Purevax Canine Distemper Vaccine which in trials by the company and in later use in the field have had only a very small risk of reaction -- very low rate, very low risk. Hey, that is part of way we all worked so hard to get the drug developed, tested, and released. It's also part of why it's worth a bit higher cost. (Another reason is due to it having conservation applications due to a number of other critters for which it is safe and effective.) Can't afford to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Canine Distemper is a HORRIBLE disease. [Posted in FML issue 3840]