THE ADVICE DISPENSED BY MYSELF IN REFERENCE TO FML POSTINGS IS NOT MEANT TO SUPPLANT THE ADVICE OF VETERINARIANS WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF THE PATIENT. IF THE PATIENT IS NOT CURRENTLY UNDER THE CARE OF A VETERINARIAN, THE CLIENT IS RECOMMENDED TO TAKE THEIR FERRET TO ONE. >From: Melissa Hyner <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: VET QUESTION - adoption >My question concerns a ferret which I am thinking about adopting. Hormonally, if he does not show any hob behavior, wait for now. The frequent bathing may actually be contributing to the smell. Try decreasing the frequency and see what happens. >From: Amy Goldman <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Ferret with reaction in new home I saw Amber about two days later and she is back to 100 percent normal. Most likely there is something that Amber is reacting to in the house. >From: mireille chiasson <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: vet question - hair lost Another option is Oxydex gel which contains benzoyl peroxide to flush out the hair follicle. >From: "Lindy N. Garner" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: medical question >Have any of you ever used or heard of using Ketachinazole (sp?) for >adrenal disease???? >The FAQ says adrenal disease is NOT cushing's disease. DO FERRETS ever Cushings disease is the human term for hyperadrenocorticism (the ferret hyperadrenal disease). Cushings is characterized by a high cortisol level. This is the same version most dogs get. Ferrets however do not typically have a high cortisol component so it is not accurate to term their type of hyperadrenocorticism Cushings disease. Your vet is using an inaccurate human disease term for the ferret disease, but still means hyperadrenocorticism. Ketoconazole is an antifungal medication that suppresses the cortisol producing capacity of the adrenal disease. Some vets have used it at the canine dose with success while other times it fails miserably to stop the symptoms. The failures may be do with the fact the ferret hyperadrenocorticism does not routinely have excessive cortisol production as a symptom. >From: Catherine Shaffer <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Heartworm medication >Our veterinarian insists that we give our fuzzies monthly heartworm >preventative. She says heartworm is always fatal in ferrets. We live in >Michigan, so mosquito season is pretty intense here. AND >From: Linda Doran <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Heartworm medication >Yes, there is a dose of heartworm medication that works for ferrets. Dr. >Williams, I think, posted it once last year based on a formula from another I do not think anyone knows the incidence rate and mortality rate for heartworm in ferrets. Ivermectin, the active ingredient in the monthly Heartgard30, works great for preventing heartworm in ferrets. The Heartgard30 chewable tablet does have the problem that the medication is not evenly distributed throughout the tablet. However making a mixture of cow ivermectin (Ivomec) is not without its problems. First off is the ability to accurately dilute it. Ivomec is manufactured for easy dosing of cattle at a much higher dosing per pound of body weight compared to the dosing required for heartworm for a 2 pound animal. Also Ivomec is very air sensitive and degrades quickly outside the bottle that your veterinarian dispenses and mixes from. It is also very light sensitive. I have talked to the representatives at Merck who manufactures Ivomec and Heartgard and they are adamantly against diluting Ivomec out for these types of extralabel useages. >From: [log in to unmask] >Subject: New Fuzzies/Questions for Shelter Owners & Vets >I am pleased to announce our first adoptions: >Baby, a beautiful 4yo sable who is a very fat girl, and Blizzard, a 6yo The adrenal surgey is techically difficult due to the small size of structures involved. If your vet is well versed in atypical surgeries, there should be no problems. Also remember that post-operative nursing care (including incubator) is an important aspect. Force feeding Blizzard is an option to correct her skinny size. Duck soup works well. >From: Harold Hawn <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: We Love Our Ferrets >I also have a question for the vet. I have heard quite a lot of debate >over rabies shots. Should they be give "dead rabies", or "live rabies" >vacination? I would really like to know the answer, why, and what the >difference is. Thanks ahead of time. Vaccines are made from a variety of ways. Dead virus vaccines are where the virus has been killed (usually chemically) and the virus cannot become deadly to the pet vaccinated. Modified live virus (MLV) vaccines are when the virus is grown in an abnormal media to cause the virus not to cause clinical disease in the pet when vaccinated. MLV vaccines might, under certain circumstances, revert to original virus and cause disease. This is not something you want witrh Rabies vaccines. Almost all Rabies vaccines are now killed virus vaccines. MLV vaccines typically elicit a more stronger and longer lasting immunity than killed vaccines so some diseases are better protected against with MLV vaccines. >From: sibretz kralmbeque <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: toxoplasmosis and wallabies >Is it possible for a ferret to give another animal toxoplasmosis? Ferrets can carry toxoplasmosis and may spread it to other animals. The few wallabys I have examined have been in zoos so I cannot answer your other questions. >From: Debbie Riccio <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: DR WILLIAMS/low glucose question >Is it possible for ferrets to have low glucose levels for other reasons Blood glucose depends on three large catergories: intake of glucose generating substances (carbohydrates, sugars, etc.), insulin and consumption of glucose. Consumption can be altered by illness, thyroid disease, etc. The fourth reason for a low sugar is lab error. The most common is not promptly separating the red blood cells from the serum (red blood cells consume glucose in the blood collection tube). The body does have a great compensatory and reaction ability and wants to maintain the glucose around 100. If there is no evidence of other disease, consider that a glucose consistently under 60 is probably due to an insulinoma. >From: Lea Statler <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Need info....Please >I took Charlie to the vet today and he has an infiction in his lungs. Well, >they took X-rays, and the vet told me that his heart is a little rounder >than it should be and that the wall of his intestines are thicker than they Depends on how round round is. If your vet has a concern, I recommend an ultrasound. >From: aylasaur <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Update on Urgent Trouble >I just called my husband, who is at the vet's with Molly. Dr. Daldin said >that it was not a gastrointestinal infection/blockage as the other vet had I think there was a post from Dr. Williams a few months back about a 6 month period of shedding the virus in the stool. >From: Steve Cloutier <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Insuloma treatment >I have a 5 1/2 year old descented and nuetered male ferret that is >exhibiting hair loss in a pattern I believe symptomatic of adrenal insuloma. >The vet took a urine sample today for a cortisol/creatinine (I think) ratio I believe you are probably talking about an adrenal tumor causing hyperadrenocorticism and not an insulinoma, which is a tumor of the pancreas causing low blood sugar. The drug you refer to is mitotane (brand name Lysodren) and it selectively destroys adrenal tissue. Check out the FAQ on adrenal disease or have your vet give me a telephone call (I am in the AVMA directory) for details. >From: Mary Allen <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Medical Question >I would really appreciate any advice possible about a problem Merritt >has been having. Was the adrenal gland biopsied and confirmed to have adrenal disease? Prednisone will cause increase urine volumes and increased urination. What was the specific gravity of the urine? Prednisone can also cause fur not to grow back. Hormonal changes can cause behavioral changes. I have seen males with adrenal disease be more domineering but it seems yours has happened the other way around. >From: Carla Smith <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: VET QUESTION >Front page article in Thursday morning's El Paso Times: >PARVO VIRUS STRIKES EL PASO DOGS AGAIN by Bernadette Self No. Mike Dutton, DVM, DABVP Weare Animal Hospital Weare, NH. [Posted in FML issue 1524]