This notice was written by Mary Van Dahn at the FAIR Shelter in Westchester, IL. We currently have about 80 ferrets at the shelter, all of whom have been exposed to the "Green Slime" virus. NOTE: The following information is not meant to take the place of qualified veterinary care. Please consult with your veterinarian before starting your pet on any treatment. No, there still isn't a "cure" or a vaccine for this scourge on our pets, but at least we ARE making progress treating the symptoms of this disease and pulling more animals through it without all the debilitating side effects that many ferrets previously experienced. Many of you are aware that the ECE virus attacks the stomach and the intestinal linings of the ferret and inhibits absorption of fluids and nutrients. We had previously been counteracting this by providing the sick animals with a very high calorie, easily digestible diet of Hill's Prescription Diet A/D canned food mixed with Deliver 2.0, fed in 1 oz. portions 3-4 times a day. We were also giving the ferrets Pepto Bismol or Kaopectate at the rate of 1 cc 2-3 times a day. The ferrets hated the Pepto Bismol and Kaopectate and we would often find ourselves wearing the medicines rather than the ferrets taking them. We also found that these medications did not seem to prevent the nasty mouth and stomach ulcers from forming in many of the ferrets. I was also worried that the coating action of these products would further reduce the absorption of nutrients by the ferrets' intestinal tracts. I had heard of Pepcid A/C being used safely on ferrets with gastric ulcers, so I decided to try it on the ferrets with ECE. Eureka! It worked! Ferrets that were already severely debilitated from the virus still took a long time to recover, but most of the new cases (95% or better) that came in responded right away to treatment. **We have not had a single mouth ulcer since starting this treatment** and from the faster recovery rate of the animals, I would venture to guess that we have reduced or eliminated the stomach ulcers in most cases, also. Another plus is that ferrets rarely object to the taste and such a small dose is given that they generally swallow it so fast that they don't taste it at all! The recommended dose for ferrets with gastric ulcers is .25 cc Pepcid suspension per kg (about 2 lbs) given 2-3 times daily. We have found that giving .10 cc per kg 1-2 times daily as soon as symptoms of the virus start and continuing for about 21 days (depending on the initial condition of the ferret) has apparently been adequate to prevent the ECE related ulcers from forming in most ferrets. NOTE: The Pepcid suspension is made by crushing a 10 mg tablet of Pepcid A/C and adding 10 cc of water to it. This suspension settles quickly and must be shaken WELL between each dose administered. Veterinarians may check with their local pharmacy to see if there is another medium that will suspend the ground Pepcid particles more easily. Dr. Susan Brown of the Midwest Bird and Exotic Animal Hospital has also been trying Imodium (liquid) on some of the ferrets in her practice. It is given at a rate of .10 cc per ferret 2-3 times a day for 1-4 days (usually given for 2 days, then skipping a day, then given 1-2 more days). This treatment is still in a trial stage and she recommends it only for chronic or severe cases of diarrhea until more is known about the longterm effects of this product on ferrets. We have tried it on a few ferrets in our shelter that were responding slowly to other treatments and it seemed to work. We have also found that administering prednisone has helped in some of the ferrets with ECE. A dose of .25 mg-.50 mg per ferret once a day for 7-14 days (and then every other day for 3 more doses) helps as an anti-inflammatory agent and increases the appetite of severely affected animals. NOTE: Prednisone a.k.a. prednisolone is a prescription drug and must be obtained from a veterinarian. We advise that a blood glucose test for your ferret prior to starting it on prednisone since prednisone can be detrimental to ferrets with hyperglycemia (diabetes). While using the Pepcid A/C we still feed the sick ferrets the A/D anbd Deliver 2.0 mixture, but for most ferrets we can cut it back to only one 1 oz. feeding a day. We have also been adding a pinch of brewer's yeast to the mixture and a few drops of Petinic. We also still use Amoxicillin in some ferrets (usually ones with concurrent medical problems) during the early stages of the virus to prevent bacterial "opportunists" from further complicating recovery. We would like to hear about the results listmembers and veterinarians have when they try this new treatment. So far all the feedback we have received has been positive. Also, if you have other things to suggest, please call Mary Van Dahm at the FAIR shelter: 708-681-3181; you may also email me c/o [log in to unmask] Best wishes to all-- Anatole Mori Mookie, Maia, Poppy, and Sabrina (all happily unexposed and loving it) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Anatole Mori Managing Editor * * Classical Philology * * [log in to unmask] 1010 East 59th Street * * office (312) 702-2564 University of Chicago * * fax (312) 702-9861 Chicago, IL 60637 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * [Posted in FML issue 1746]