Ferrets are becoming more and more common as pets in our homes. For this reason, it is important that we inform ourselves about various aspects of the life of this peculiar and friendly animal before adopting it.
One of the basic things we need to know are the most common ferret diseases.
In many normal veterinary centers they can help us with monitoring their he alth, but there are veterinary centers specialized in exotic animals and more specifically in small mammals such as the Mustela putorius furo (or ferret). Below we detail some of the most frequent diseases that we can find in this little fellow.
Parasitic diseases
First of all, remember as always the great importance of deworming both internally and externally of our pets, not only for their he alth but also by ours since many are transmissible to humans (zoonoses). To do this, we must follow the guidelines of our regular veterinarian and thus avoid these diseases:
- Internal parasites: The most common internal parasites in ferrets are coccidia and giardia. These parasites cause loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting. In this case, the specialist in charge of the ferret's he alth will tell us what preventive guidelines to follow and the treatment in case of a positive infestation. Ferrets are mainly treated with conventional antiparasitic products for cats in adequate doses, for example in the form of a paste, since it is very easy to administer.
- Otic mange: This disease is caused by ear mites, that is, they occur in the ears of these small mammals. This is one of the most common he alth problems. These mites usually cause an increase in wax and a lot of itching in the ears. We will observe that the little animal shakes its head, scratches and rubs its ears and even whines out of anxiety. In principle, it is not a serious problem and it is easy to treat with an antiparasitic in doses indicated for cats. But if we ignore the problem, it can get complicated until it produces a rupture in the eardrum, which will give a severe tilt of the head and infection in the inner ear, in this case it is already more serious and needs a more difficult treatment.
- Sarcoptic mange: Another type of mange that ferrets can get is sarcoptic or skin mange, caused by the Sarcoptes mite. Scabiei and it is a zoonosis. The symptoms are profuse itching all over the skin along with loss of fur, swollen and crusted claws and possible skin infections if the mange is very advanced. In the event that our veterinarian diagnoses this type of scabies in our companion, we must follow the treatment indicated for the animal, but it is also vitally important to disinfect any garment or object that has had contact with it to eliminate the mites that cause scabies. the illness.
- Fleas: Fleas are common in our pets that live or are a lot outside and less frequent in those that are always inside from home, although the latter can also be easily infected. These external parasites can be prevented or treated once diagnosed. There are many products to prevent and treat these infestations. Generally, not only the carrier animal should be treated, but also all other pets that share the space and our house. It is good to get our little animals used to regular brushing, this will help prevent external parasites. Fleas cause itchy skin, hair loss due to scratching and can sometimes cause allergies, but they can also spread tapeworms and ferrets are susceptible to these other parasites. We will detect tapeworms if we see that there are small, white worms in the stool.
- Ticks: Ferrets that live or play outside are also very susceptible to ticks. Ticks are a problem in themselves, but they can also transmit various diseases such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis among others. For this reason and because they can transmit ticks to humans, it is important to prevent them with veterinary products for cats. They are easy to detect because our friend will scratch the area where the tick is attached to his skin and they are also easily visible. If the tick is removed manually, make sure that it has been completely removed and that its jaw or head has not been hooked, since a cyst will easily form there and/or it can become infected.
- Dirofilaria immitis or heartworm: This disease is caused by worms that are transmitted through the bites of carrier mosquitoes. These worms lodge in the heart of the animal they infest. The symptoms are weight loss, chronic cough, very tired, jaundice (yellowish skin) and even fluid retention in the abdomen. A preventive plan proposed by the veterinarian must be followed and in case this disease reaches any of our little ones, we must proceed with its immediate treatment. This disease is very easy to prevent but more complicated to treat.
Bacterial diseases
This type of disease can be diagnosed quite easily and treated with antibiotics. The following are some of the most common bacterial diseases in ferrets:
- Lyme Disease or Borreliosis: This is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted by ticks and if it is not detected in time it can evolve into its chronic form. In the face of this disease, antibiotics will be used and if it is an advanced case, the time taken for antibiotics will be prolonged and may be indefinite in cases of chronic borreliosis. Most cases occur in hot weather. The most easily recognized symptoms are intermittent lameness, persistent fever with no apparent cause, joint swelling and pain, loss of appetite, depression, swollen lymph nodes, and neurological, heart, and kidney problems.
- Chronic colitis: This disease causes severe diarrhea in ferrets due to the infection it produces in the colon. The bacteria that cause colitis and diarrhea are Desulfovibrio and Campylobacter, respectively. It occurs more frequently in ferrets less than one year old. The main symptoms are acute diarrhoea, sometimes with mucus or blood, significant weight loss, dehydration and cramping caused by pain in the abdomen. It is really important to detect the disease before the dehydration is severe, because you have to think that being such small animals and of such little weight, they dehydrate very quickly and can die if not intervened in time. The fact that this disease lasts a long time can cause the rectum to prolapse and even the colon in the most severe cases.
Fungal (fungal) infections
Yeast infections are rare infections in these small pets, but the most common ones that occur in them are the following:
- Ringworm: Caused by fungi, ringworm causes redness, dryness and stiffening of the skin of ferrets, but it does not cause much itching Once the veterinarian diagnoses the disease through cultures, the treatment indicated by the veterinarian will proceed with products such as topical antifungals, ointments and oral antifungals. It is vitally important to disinfect the house, cage and toys of the infected animal and treat the rest of the animals that have shared space with it. In this case we return to talking about zoonoses because it can be transmitted to humans.
- Valley Fever: This disease is caused by a fungus that lives in the soil and produces spores. These spores are airborne and inhaled by animals, thus causing infection. The animals that get Valley Fever are a low percentage of those that have inhaled the spores. It is not a contagious disease, so it cannot be passed from animal to animal or to people, it can only be given by inhalation of the fungus spores. The most common symptoms are cough, chronic respiratory infection, fever, skin lesions, weight loss, lethargy, loss of appetite, and swelling of the extremities. It is usually a mild disease but it can be very complicated and endanger the life of our companion, but it can be treated, so immediately after detecting symptoms we must go to the veterinarian and have him carry out the necessary tests and if the infection is positive, should proceed to appropriate treatment with prolonged antifungals. If this disease is noticed in an advanced state or even with treatment, it spreads throughout the body, almost any organ can be affected, so the symptoms will be broader and the treatment longer and even lifelong. The most commonly affected points when the spread of the disease occurs are the bones and the brain, in this case the brain infection puts life in great danger. On the other hand, if the infection occurs only in the lungs, the prognosis is initially good.
Viral diseases
Viral diseases are infectious-type diseases that are transmitted by viruses. There are mostly innocuous or less serious ones such as colds and in a minority there are the most serious and complicated ones that can become epidemic. Viruses are microscopic parasites that in order to reproduce need to be inside another cell, be it human, animal, plant or even bacteria.
Next we detail the most common viral diseases in mustelids:
- Distemper: This airborne viral disease is mostly afflicted by dogs, but it also affects ferrets. For this reason, we must vaccinate them for the first time at eight weeks and three months of age and follow the calendar of annual revaccinations. If our pet contracts the disease, we must go to the vet quickly. The most common symptoms are eye infection that produces a discharge at the corner of the eyes, light nasal discharge, diarrhea and depression, as well as irritation, thickening and scaling of the skin in some areas such as the chin, lips, fingers, rectal and inguinal and abdomen, loss of appetite, light will bother them (photophobia) and in a very advanced stage high fever. Treatment should be started immediately, but it is between difficult to take effect and ineffective, so this disease has a very high mortality rate and hence the great importance of prevention by vaccination.
- Rabies: This disease is a virus that affects the nervous system of both animals and humans, so it is not only that it is dangerous for our pets and ourselves, if not that it is mandatory to vaccinate against it in the vast majority of countries. We must vaccinate ferrets from eight months of age and then annually. There are no known cases of contagion from a ferret to a human, but there are between pets with whom we live and that is why vaccination is really important. The main symptoms are disorientation, lethargy, nervousness, uncontrolled movements and muscle spasms, salivation and weakness and even paralysis of the hind legs. This viral disease is highly fatal.
- Flu and cold: It is possible for ferrets and their owners to spread common colds and flu to each other. These are very frequent viruses and of varied types. For this reason, it is very important that in case one of them has a cold or the flu, he does not get close to the other. In adult specimens it can be complicated by a mild disease of the upper respiratory tract, while in the case of young or weakened adults, it can be fatal. The symptoms that occur in mustelids are discharge from the nose and eyes, accompanied by sneezing and conjunctivitis, fever, lethargy, loss of appetite and depression. The specialist veterinarian will indicate a suitable treatment for our pet including an adequate diet.
- Aleutian Disease: This disease is caused by a parvovirus, it affects the immune system and there is no vaccine or effective treatment against it. It is spread through contact with any body fluid of an already infected animal and by some insects, especially flies, but it does not affect humans, only ferrets and mink. The symptoms are pneumonia, paralysis of the posterior third, lack of appetite, very dark stools, general muscle wasting, severe mastitis, lethargy, urine loss and kidney failure. It will be necessary for the specialist veterinarian to do a blood test on our pet. There is no treatment that is effective against this disease in ferrets, so we must treat the clinical symptoms and try to give our friend the best care, but the disease is fatal.
- ECE or Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis: It is an inflammation of the mucous membranes of the intestine caused by a virus, which prevents them from being absorbed properly water and nutrients. This causes severe diarrhea of an intense greenish color in ferrets, as well as loss of appetite and weight loss. Other symptoms are vomiting, ulcers in the mouth and stomach, and lethargy. It is not a fatal disease, but since it depresses the immune system, opportunistic infections can sometimes appear. It is very important that antibiotics and fluids be given to the sick animal as treatment. In addition, a soft high-protein diet should be administered. The most direct route of contagion is from ferret to ferret, although there are others. If you have an infected pet, you will have to isolate it while it recovers and absolutely disinfect its entire environment.
Hereditary diseases
Inherited diseases are those that are passed from parents to children, so they are found in the individual genetic inheritance of animals. For this reason, breeders sometimes rule out breeding specimens that are carriers of these diseases, since this prevents more and more affected individuals. In the case of Mustela putorius furo, the most common hereditary disease is Waardenburg Syndrome, which we explain below:
Waardenburg Syndrome: This disease is a congenital defect that occurs in white ferrets or with striped or completely white heads. Waardenburg syndrome causes a cranial deformation, it widens, as well as partial or total deafness in individuals who suffer from it. This deformation of the skull produces a high mortality in puppies that have the syndrome and some cases of cleft palate. Other detectable symptoms in an animal suffering from this hereditary disease are difficulty socializing due to deafness, significant constipation, spinal cord and bladder problems, among others. Although there is no very specific treatment, the majority of ferrets that come out ahead with this disease can lead a fairly normal life as long as we help them to adapt and, above all, remember that not hearing us can scare them when we touch them without warning. We will have to teach them things through gestures and signs.
Cancer
Cancer affects ferrets quite frequently. The only way to try to prevent it is to know if there is a genetic predisposition and to know our friend very well in order to quickly detect symptoms and go to the specialist veterinarian.
- Insulinoma: It is a type of cancer that produces a tumor in the pancreas that increases insulin production and lowers glucose levels in blood It is one of the most common cancers in ferrets. The most common symptoms are weight loss, difficulty waking from sleep, hypothermia, tremors, depression, excessive salivation, enlarged spleen, generalized weakness but especially in the hind legs, mouth ulcers and rubbing of the mouth with the paws, loss of coordination, acute fainting and seizures. We must thoroughly specify the treatment to be followed with our specialist veterinarian.
- Adrenal gland disease or adenocarcinoma: This disease is due to excessive growth of the adrenal glands caused by hyperplasia or cancer. It is one of the most common types of cancer among ferrets along with Insulinoma. Some symptoms of this cancer are hair loss where the skin that remains uncovered becomes thinner, dry and brittle fur, increased aggressiveness, lethargy, high water consumption and increased urination, in addition to intense itching in the the skin, red spots, crusts and scales. In the case of females, the vulva becomes quite inflamed and in the case of males, prostate problems are detected that are detected by problems when urinating. Although the growth of the adrenal glands turns out to be benign, it can cause hormonal imbalance that can seriously worsen the he alth of our little one. Removal of these glands is often part of cancer treatment. Today, in addition to steroid or hormone therapy, the most recommended treatment is a product called Lupron, which is a long-acting analog of GnRH (hormone) which inhibits the production of sex hormones.
- Lymphoma or lymphosarcoma: This is a cancer of the animal's lymphatic system and affects its immune system. It is quite frequent in ferrets and occurs mainly in an acute form in individuals under two years of age and in adults in a more chronic form. The symptoms may not appear until a long time has passed and they may not be specific, but the most frequent are swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, lethargy, poor appetite, diarrhoea, enlarged spleen, labored breathing, weakness and general weakness, but especially in the hind legs. The specialist must diagnose the disease based on a series of tests and then propose a treatment based on chemotherapy, to which ferrets usually respond very well, and very meticulous monitoring of the process. Although lymphosarcoma is rarely completely cured, long-term chemotherapy achieves a significant reduction in symptoms and thus improves the quality and life expectancy of the sick animal.
- Mastocytomas: Mastocytomas are one of the most common types of skin tumors in ferrets. The frequency of these tumors increases with increasing age of the animal. In the case of these small pets, benign mast cell tumors are usually observed, malignant ones are less common. These occur in any part of the animal but more frequently they occur in the neck and trunk of the animal. Mastocytomas occur on the skin in the form of an irregular bump or lump and may look like a wart, although these are usually not as large as these tumors. Some symptoms, apart from the irregular lump itself, are itching and bleeding caused by scratching the area, this can also cause infections if we do not treat the wounds right away. The specialist veterinarian must confirm that it is a benign mast cell tumor before proceeding with its removal. If it is malignant, chemotherapy or radiation treatment should be performed in addition to removing the tumor.
Other common problems
In addition to all the diseases described above, ferrets tend to have a series of quite frequent problems and therefore it is good to find out about these as well as diseases. Below we explain some of these problems and mismatches:
- Stress: These little ones can get stressed very easily and for various reasons, for example a sudden change in food or housing. This can cause diarrhea, vomiting and nervousness. It will be of vital importance to keep the ferret well hydrated.
- Dehydration: Dehydration in ferrets occurs easily as they are very small animals and can quickly lose water in their body. We must ensure that they always have clean and fresh water within their reach. It usually occurs due to heat stroke, vomiting and severe diarrhea. The skin becomes stiff and the mucous membranes, such as the gums, become whitish or a very pale pink. In case of not being able to hydrate the animal with water orally, if it is very weak, we must quickly go to the specialist to start a treatment with fluids subcutaneously.
- Furballs: Ferrets groom themselves by licking and chewing on their fur. Like cats, they have a tendency to have hairballs that get stuck along the digestive tract and find it very difficult to remove them. In this case, we must provide our pet with a laxative for cats that is sold in stores and veterinary clinics. This product will lubricate the accumulated hair and facilitate its expulsion.
- Cardiomyopathy: This disease occurs mainly in males over three years of age. The heart muscle thickens due to wear and tear and this decreases the pumping of blood per minute, causing poor circulation. This makes ferrets more sleepy than normal which makes it difficult to wake up, lethargy, lack of appetite and even small collapses and blocks while running and playing due to tiredness. There is no cure, it is a problem that occurs with age, but we can provide support treatment with a low-sodium diet, a reduction in physical activity and avoid overstimulation and stress.
- Sunstroke or heat stroke: It is a shock due to excessive temperature rise. Mustelids do not tolerate high temperatures very well, so they should always have a cool area with water. In fact, ferrets from an ambient temperature of 27ºC become lethargic and temperatures above 30 degrees and high humidity can be fatal. In severe but not fatal cases, permanent neurological damage may occur. It is very important to take into account never leaving our pet tied up or locked up in the sun or inside a car, we must constantly provide them with fresh water, the cages or kennels must be well ventilated and in cool areas. If we detect an animal with heat stroke due to symptoms such as excessive panting, tongue sticking out, general weakness, muscle tremors, unconsciousness, high body temperature, among others, we should place it in a ventilated and cool area immediately and call the veterinarian, because severe dehydration can occur among other things.
- Insistent rubbing of paws at mouth: These little animals tend to have this behavior repeatedly when they have digestive problems (vomiting or diarrhoea), but it also occurs in cases of intestinal blockage, gingivitis and is even a symptom of insulinoma in individuals over three years of age. Therefore, if we see this behavior in our companion, it will be a good idea to take him to a specialist veterinarian.
- Hyperestrogenism: Occurs in young females, 1 to 2 years old, whole or spayed but with remaining ovarian tissue that come into heat but there is no male present to copulate, so some of these females will not ovulate and will have very high estrogen levels. This will cause severe anemia, since estrogens will affect the bone marrow and there will be an intoxication of the tissue responsible for the production of blood cells and we will observe symptoms such as symmetrical alopecia, vulvar hypertrophy, depression, loss of appetite, paleness of the mucous membranes., subcutaneous petechiae, weakness, slight murmurs and ecchymoses among others. This is one of the main causes of death in non-sterilized females, so you must act quickly and go to the veterinarian as soon as we identify any symptoms so that he can do the tests and proceed with the necessary treatment.
- Splenomegaly: Splenomegaly, as its name suggests, is an enlarged spleen. It can be caused by lymphosarcoma, splenitis, Aleutian disease, insulinoma, cardiomyopathy, adrenal neoplasia and more diseases. Symptoms are lethargy, loss of appetite, and reduced general activity. The specialist can detect the problem through palpation of the abdomen and x-rays. A possible solution is the removal of the spleen, but this will leave our ferret with a somewhat delicate he alth since the spleen has various functions such as cleaning the blood, storing blood, forming blood cells and in case of diseases send them to fight them. It occurs mainly in ferrets over three years old.
- Prolapsed rectum: Many animals have perianal glands or scent glands next to the anus, which they use to mark territory or to indicate overexcitement or fear. These glands also have the function of lubricating the stools and when the glands are missing, they are sometimes removed due to a problem or because we think that this way our pets will smell less, or their ducts are blocked or obstructed, the lack of lubrication can cause a prolapse of the rectum. In addition, it can also happen due to severe diarrhea, enteritis and other diseases. The ferret must do much more force to be able to expel its feces and the rectum comes out. If we detect this in our pet, we must take it immediately to the veterinary specialist to solve it and avoid possible serious infections.
- High curiosity: This characteristic that occurs in the vast majority of ferrets, leads them to have accidents and complicated situations such as falling from windows and balconies, getting stuck in tight spots, escaping or getting lost, and even ingesting strange things as they tend to nibble on everything.
- Intestinal blockage or obstruction: Due to their great curiosity about everything, these little animals put everything within their reach into their mouths and they easily ingest things they shouldn't, so keeping an eye on them and knowing where they are at all times is of the utmost importance. When they ingest foreign bodies, they can easily get stuck in the intestinal tract, producing serious symptoms and problems that can be easily detected if we observe their usual behavior. In this situation, we must go to the vet quickly so that he can remove the stuck object before it may be too late.
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