Ferret Footnotes

Monthly Newsletter of the
Ferret Lovers' Club of Texas

MAY 1997

"Cats Make Great Pillows!"

FERRET LOVERS' CLUB OF TEXAS INFORMATION SOURCES

MONTHLY MEETINGS
Come to one of our informative meetings! Meetings are held on the second Sunday of each month at 2:00 p.m. Meeting topics vary from month to month (suggestions are welcome!). Meetings rotate through households throughout the metroplex, and we try to alternate between ECE and Non-ECE households. To find out about meetings, dial:

THE FERRET HOTLINE
Questions about directions to the next meeting? Recommended vets in your area? Or just need information? Call the ferret hotline at metro (817) 498-1470. Emergency response is available.

THE ONLINE MAILING LIST:
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OUR NEW WEBSITE:

Our website has moved! Please check out our new site at:

http://www.ferret.home.ml.org

or http://www.unicorn.us.com/ferret/

FERRET PARASITES
May Meeting Topic (by Dr. Erika Matulich)

The May meeting topic was ferret parasites. Thank you to Dr. Roger Kendrick, DVM, who helped provide up-to-date information. The parasites we discussed are presented in alphabetical order.

Fleas

Ferrets tend to get fleas, particularly when the weather gets warm and humid and when other pets in the house carry them in from outside. If you notice excessive scratching, check your ferrets for fleas by combing with a fine-toothed flea comb and ruffling its fur. Dislodged fleas are reddish brown to black. Little dark specks in the fur indicate the flea residue.

To rid a ferret of fleas, bathe with a flea shampoo suitable for kittens and one that contains pyrethins. Shampoo the ferret starting at their ears and working toward the tail. Be careful to avoid its eyes and nose. Use a flea comb to remove the fleas from the ferret's face. This may need to be repeated weekly if flea infestation is very bad. You will need to treat the ferret's environment, also. Change and launder all bedding, but avoid fabric softeners. Treat the area with flea spray and powder and vacuum frequently. You can use cut-up flea collars in your vacuum cleaner bag to help kill flea eggs that are swept inside. Flea collars, however, cause severe irritation on your ferret's skin. Flea collars should not be used on the ferret!

Fleas are nasty parasites. Aside from causing infection and skin allergies, it causes them to lose sleep, lose their appetite, and become irritable and difficult to handle. Also, it does not take many flea bites to cause anemia from lack of enough blood in the ferret's system. Fleas can also transmit diseases, and if a flea is accidentally ingested when your ferret grooms with his teeth, tapeworms, an intestinal parasite can be a serious problem. For those of you who suffer from flea infestation is DON'T GIVE UP. You must do all you can and keep doing it, for the sake of your little guys. Fleas are an illness, please help your pets be healthy and happy.

Several new flea eradication products are on the market that can provide relief to your ferrets, although none have been specifically tested for use in ferrets. Frontline Spray is the product most highly recommended for ferrets by veterinarians. The Frontline products, by Rhone-Merieux, contain a revolutionary new molecule that is highly active against both fleas and ticks. The product kills all insects within 24 hours of application; 96% are killed within 2 hours. The product has a wide margin of safety and has found to cause no problems in kittens at many times the overdosage level. A single dose can last a month or more. The product is not affected by sunlight or shampooing. Although this makes the product last longer, it is a potential drawback in the unlikely event your ferret has an allergic reaction to the product because it cannot be washed off. Frontline also comes in a "drop on the neck" type product, but this may be too harsh for some ferrets. Advantage has a similar "drop on the neck" product that lasts a month or more. However, toxicology and overdose tests show that the product is not as safe as Frontline. Advantage is water soluble and will wash off. The last new product is Program (lufenuron). This product is a monthly oral tablet that puts flea-killing chemicals in the ferret's bloodstream. When the flea bites the ferret and drinks the blood, the flea lays sterile eggs. The disadvantage is that fleas must bite your ferret first, and it takes several months for the breeding cycle to be broken. In the meantime, your ferret can suffer from severe medical problems. Additionally, the long-term toxic effects of lufenuron in the ferret's bloodstream has not been studies. Program can be used in conjunction with Advantage or Frontline without any harmful effects. All three of these product need to be purchased at a veterinarian. There are other, similar products available at pet and feed stores (such as Defend). However, these products are significantly harsher and probably should not be used on ferrets.

Earmites

Earmites are a common external parasite of ferrets as well as dogs and cats. The infection is frequently found acquired at birth or when the animals have close contact with others. The mites are too small to be easily seen with the naked eye, but the dark, crumbly or black waxy debris they create in the ears of their host is often abundant. The mite debris is often smelly. The presence of the mites can be irritating to the unfortunate ferret who may respond by rubbing and scratching at his ears or vigorous head-shaking (although these symptoms are usually not as dramatic as in dogs and cats). Occasionally the mites may spread to other parts of the head and body; under extreme infestations the mites may burst the eardrum and cause much deeper, middle or inner-ear infections.

Diagnosis is usually made by collecting some of the ear debris and examining it under a microscope by a veterinarian. Either the mites or their eggs will usually be found in abundance. One method of treating earmites consists of applying miticide (safe for kittens) and cleaning the ear debris periodically with an ear lotion or peroxide. This safe and effective method requires diligence and may take a number of weeks of treatment to completely cure the problem. A veterinarian can also apply drops of ivermectin once a week for 2-3 weeks, if your ferret does not enjoy a daily treatment.

Either way, it is important that all ferrets in the household (and the dogs and cats which share their home) be treated simultaneously, even those who do not have the obvious mite infestations, because the treated pet may be reinfected immediately after the end of treatment by those animals who were not treated.

Flukes

Another potentially serious parasite is the fluke, which is like a small leech that attaches itself to intestinal walls or can be in the liver as well. Flukes are usually caught when a ferret ingests feces of another animal, usually a dog or cat. Veterinary assistance is required. Symptoms are quite variable, from gastrointestinal upset, to urination problems. If you have other pets in your house, and your ferret has access to their droppings, this may be good to test for.

Heartworms/Mosquitos

Ferret owners must be aware that heartworms can attack their ferrets and cause fatal heart disease. The ferret, whose natural immune system seems to be particularly intolerant of infection, contracts heartworms through mosquito bites. Due to the warm winter and damp spring in southern areas, mosquitos are always in abundance. This raises the risk of heartworm infestation considerably. This is only one of the reasons that FLC does not recommend outdoor cages for ferrets. Most ferrets are housed indoors and have little to no exposure to mosquitos. However, if you frequently get mosquitos in your house, your ferret may need to be treated. Your vet can prescribe a heartworm preventive to be administered orally throughout the spring and summer months. This is usually a once-a-month medication, such as Heartguard, in tablet or cube form. You can get a dosage for a small cat, and halve this dosage. Heartworms are not curable in ferrets; prevention is the key. Additionally, tests for heartworms are not very reliable in ferrets.

Ringworm

This skin infection is caused by dermatophytes, or a type of fungus. The symptoms are usually one or several round, itchy patches of hair loss. A reddish ring commonly appears. It can also cause scaling of footpads, or toenail thickening. Ringworm is highly contagious to humans and other animals. Treatments is with anti-fungal creams or ingestible tablets. Treatments typically last six weeks.

Scabies/Skin Mites

Symptoms include itching, skin sores, swollen ears/nose/feet/head, crusty ears, and hair loss. Scabies is caused by a mite, somewhat similar to mange. Treatment is ivermectin shots every two weeks for 2-6 sessions at a veterinarian. The ferret may also need cortisone to help with swelling and itching. This mite is highly contagious to other ferrets and to humans.

Tapeworms

See Fleas.

Ticks

If you live in a wooded area, ticks may also be a problem. The Frontline spray mentioned in the Flea section are helpful in eradicating a preventing ticks. Ticks can cause anemia just like fleas, and carry other diseases, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Lyme disease may also be a serious threat, but not much is known about Lyme disease in ferrets. Avoid pulling ticks off your ferret, as the tick's head or mouthparts usually stay lodged in the skin and can cause serious infections.

A TALE OF TWO FERRETS
by Robin Langley

In early March, I was in need of some Iams Kitten food for a friend's ferret. Being in the HEB area that day, I marched into Planet Pet for my purchase. When what to my wandering eyes should appear, but two squishy ferrets in a cage near the rear. This came as quite a shock to me, as ferrets had never before been sold at this particular pet store. After questioning an employee, I discovered a couple of disconcerting things: (1) The previous owners had sold out, and (2) the new owner no longer acquired all of the pets from shelters and the Humane Society. That's right, they are now selling animals bought from breeders rather than adopting otherwise homeless pets. The two ferrets had were from a dozen ordered for the 1996 Christmas season.

When asked if I could hold one of the guys, an employee handed me a pair of welder-type gloves. I reached into the cage with my bare hand, pulled a sleepy ferret out, and handled him for a good two or three minutes. It wasn't until several people surrounded us that he bit into my hand. His punishment? A thump to the nose by an employee, which of course caused him to clamp down even harder. Although there were signs on the cage warning the public that these guys would bite, I witnessed a child shove her fingers into the cage while her father stood silently by. At that moment it became quite clear to me that these ferrets would probably end up dead because of a lawsuit; or at the very least, they would spend the rest of their lives in the toy-less four foot cage before me.

After several attempts to convince the profit-hungry owner, who refused to speak to me directly, to donate the ferrets to the shelter, I paid below price for both of them. I simply could not turn my back on these doomed animals. That very day I drove them to Patricia Curtis at Ferrets First Rescue & Shelter, who knew in advance of my rescue plans. She greeted and took them in without hesitation or concern. When placed in a play pen much larger than their old cage, the guys began exploring and romping and playing and war-dancing like there was no tomorrow. Toys like tubes, milk cartons, hard plastic balls, and plastic sacks were obviously new and wondrous gifts to them. Through Patricia's loving and patient attentions, they soon learned that hands, (at least Patricia's hands), were not to be feared or defended against, rather to be eagerly awaited for bestowing love, affection, playtime, and (most importantly) treats!

According to Patricia, the two "biters" are coming along nicely, but are not yet ready for adoption. They need the time and freedom to be ferrets in a stable and stress free environment. Hopefully, at a future date, these two ferrets will be ready for a new home with the right parent(s).

FERRET OF THE MONTH COVER PHOTO

The Ferret of the Month Cover photo features Romeo, who owns FLC-member Karen Farrow. Romeo is shown resting comfortably against his floor pillow, Monet the cat. Romeo is now willing to share all three of his floor pillows with Little Girl, the newest addition to the Farrow Family.

Would you like your ferret to be featured as a cover photo? Or published in the new handbook? Send photographs to the editor (see page 2), and with a SASE, they will be returned. Be sure to identify the ferret in the photo, include any information, and mark the photo with your name and address.


WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

Welcome to all our new members so far in 1997!

Bart H. Barham, Dallas (Bailey)
Holly Lynn Chant, Richardson (Rascal, Cosmo, Foster, Ashley, Mandy, Wolfie, Simba)
City of the Colony, Animal Wildlife and Protection Division
William &;Elizabeth Dockendorf, Garland
Karen Farrow, Euless (Romeo, Little Girl)
Lori &;Kevin Goats, Point Neches (Dakota, Mischief, Sage)
Lisa Juliussen, Dallas (Funky Monkey (Chikky))
Traci Kitts &;Jimmy Rogers, Dallas (Bandit, Pinky)
Renee Loria, Fort Worth, Exotic Pet Outpost
Carolyn Ann Marr (Garland)
Sophia Rogers &;Jim Irwin, Hurst (Mini, Toto)
Arlene Sinquefield, Fort Worth (Little Bit)
Matthew Stevens, San Angelo (Peanut, Bijoux, Arthur, Suni, Tiki)
Chantel &;John Strange, Carrollton (Kodo, Aramis, Anna, Boo, Batty, Taz, Minnie, Sydney, Anja)
Wayne Streetly &;Joyce Farar, Red Oak (Sophie, Snowball, Clyde, Dillinger, Coke, Sugar)
Micheal S. Woodard, Denton (Snoopy)

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