Influenza (Flu) in Ferrets
Ferrets can catch the flu from humans so please take care not to go near your ferret if you are suffering from a case of the flu. The symptoms of a ferret with flu are similar to a human’s, i.e. Sneezing Blocked nose with discharge Decreased appetite Lethargy High fever
If your ferret has the flu, make sure it's drinking water so that it remains hydrated. However do NOT use human flu medication on your ferret. Keep an eye on it and if the symptoms worsen, contact your vet. Take care of strep throats too.
The Kiss of Death
The kids all knew not to go near our ferrets if they had anything that resembled a cold but one day in the middle of summer, our eldest daughter, Alexia, had a scratchy throat. No other symptoms, just a scratchy throat, so she didn’t think anything of planting a big sloppy kiss on the nose of Mulder, her favorite ferret.
I remember hearing him sound a little wheezy a few days later but since the weather was warm and no one in the family had colds or anything like that, I didn't pay much attention to it. I thought that maybe Mulder developed an upper respiratory problem like Chucky, something that sounded more serious than it actually was. It was only when his breathing sounded very odd a couple of days later that I whisked him down to our vet to get checked out. It turned out that Alexia had a strep infection and had passed the germs on to Mulder. He developed
pneumonia
and, despite medical treatment and 5 days in the hospital, he died. It was tragic, and Alexia felt utterly depressed, thinking that she caused his death. If you are feeling under the weather, stay away from giving your ferret lots of kisses until you improve!
There's an article about ferrets and flu by written by Holly Nash DVM MS
here.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this page is not meant to replace seeing a veterinarian if you think your ferret is ill. It’s only meant to supply general information on a particular illness which was obtained either from personal experience with my sick ferrets, or from books and/or the Internet.
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