March 1999 Newsletter

ECE

Due to an unforseen scheduling conflict with our Guest Speaker, we could not have a meeting upon Vaccinations. Instead we discussed ECE as many of our newer members were unfamiliar with what ECE is, therefore I am reprinting the last ECE article from our newsletter in June 1996. Erika Matulich (who now writes for Ferrets Magazine) wrote the article.

Ferret Health and ECE

"The Greenies"

The Discussion Topic for the March meeting was ECE, (officially, "epizootic catarrhal enteritis"), also known as the "greenies," "green slime disease," or "green mystery virus."

What is it? ECE is a ferret-specific disease that damages the intestinal lining with inflammation and infection. When the intestinal lining (or "mucosa") is damaged, the ferret has difficulty absorbing nutrients and water into the body. This results in diarrhea, excess mucous production, and dehydration. In severe cases, intestinal ulceration and bleeding takes place. ECE has just this week been definitively identified as a VIRUS, not a bacterial infection.

What are the symptoms? ECE is characterized by the sudden onset of profuse, watery, bright green diarrhea (although the diarrhea can also be other shades of green or yellow). It is often accompanied by vomiting (in early stages of the disease), lethargy, refusal to eat or drink, or diminished eating/drinking. Blood counts remain normal.

How does a ferret get ECE? The virus is transmitted by infected body fluids and can be spread through the air or on clothing on tiny fluid particles or by contact with an infected ferret. It is highly contagious. You could carry ECE home with you from a petstore, vet clinic, etc. and not know it. Your ferrets will show symptoms in between 12 and 72 hours, if infected. Even a healthy-looking ferret can be a carrier -- it is now estimated that a ferret who had ECE can "shed" the virus for at least 12 months (research continues to see if this period is longer). So if your ferret has had ECE, keep in mind that your ferret can infect others for a year (or possibly more). So if you are visiting another ferret, adopting from a shelter, or going to a show, ASK what the ECE status is.

Is my ferret in danger? ECE has appeared and spread throughout the East Coast, Southwestern, and Western United States. Texas has been affected; in fact, about 1/3 of club members have been hit with the virus, as well as both FLC TX affiliate shelters. The younger your ferret is, the fewer the symptoms and the shorter the duration of the disease. If treated properly, the fatality rate is less than 5%, and those fatalities are typically older (over 5 years) ferrets who also have other problems such as adrenal problems, insulinoma, etc. If your ferret is younger, healthy, and fat, there is less risk, as long as treatment is immediate. If treatment is not immediate, ferrets can die of dehydration. Through the course of the disease, ferrets can also develop secondary infections, which should also be treated.

What is the treatment?

1.HYDRATION. The ferret needs to be hydrated constantly. Give electrolytes (such as unflavored Pedialyte, or Lemon-Ice Gatorade) along with water - between 60-100 cc's per day. Check water/fluid consumption by marking a water bottle, or orally administering the fluid with an oral syringe and keeping records. They key is to keep this up constantly, such as 10 cc's every few hours throughout the day and night. In severe cases, a veterinarian may have to administer fluids intravenously.

2.ANTIBIOTICS. See a vet immediately to be put on an antibiotic to prevent secondary infections. The antibiotic does not kill the ECE virus, but prevents dangerous secondary infections that do occur. This is usually amoxycillin (10-20 mg/lb twice daily).

3.NUTRITION. Because the ferret has difficulty absorbing nutrients, and may refuse to eat, it is important to get as much nutrition into the ferret as possible. Use supplements such as Nutrical, Sustacal, or Deliver. See attached recipes for "Duck Soup" and other semi-liquid mixtures, which may have to be force-fed through an oral syringe. Again, throughout the day, a minimum of 100 cc's of food is needed. Do NOT count this liquid food as part of the water/electrolyte liquid requirement in the hydration section.

4.ENVIRONMENT. Keep the ferret warm and dry (but do not leave a ferret on a heating pad unattended!). Try and keep the ferret quiet, away from noise and commotion, and out of bright lights.

5.OTHER MEDICINE. Some people advocate the administration of PeptoBismol to help coat andprotect the intestines and make food ingestions more comfortable. Cat doses apply.

How long does it last? This depends on the health condition, age, weight, and personality of the ferret. Kits show few, if any symptoms, for a few hours. Ferrets under two years may have mild symptoms for 1-3 days. As long as they are eating, drinking, and urinating, no additional treatment may be necessary. The normal course of symptoms seem to be one to three weeks, although there are reports of some going as long as two months. Once the ferret recovers from the severe symptoms, the ferret may experience seedy or poorly formed stools, inability to gain weight, hind-leg weakness, or lethargy, for several months. Remember that after "recovery," your ferret still carries the virus and can expose others. However, once a ferret has ECE, the ferret builds up an immunity and is not likely to show severe symptoms again.

What can I do to control this? If your ferrets have not had ECE, you can avoid other ferret households, shows, meetings, shelters, petstores, or other "ferret congregations." Because this may be an unrealistic restriction, you can take some precautions. When coming home from an exposed location, remove your clothes and shoes in the garage, and place them in a plastic bag. Spray your hands and feet with Nolvasan, or other disinfectant, and then enter your house. Immediately take a shower. Wash your clothes in hot water, and wash or disinfect your shoes. (Another recommended disinfectant is bleach). This method has proven successful for many. Similarly, if you are infected and are going to visit another ferret place, shower, put on clean clothes straight from the dryer, and spray your hands and shoes with Nolvasan, or other disinfectant, after you leave the house. Also inform you vet, so the facilities can be disinfected properly.

Don't Panic! ECE can be a serious disease if you are uninformed. If you think your ferret has ECE, take him/her to the vet immediately. However, keep in mind that green diarrhea can come from a number of other sources as well: stress, sudden food changes, intestinal lymphosarcoma, coccidiosis, and eosinophilic gastroenteritis. Don't panic over one green poop, but keep an eye on your ferret and have your vet evaluate stool samples or dehydration levels.

Acknowledgements: Many thanks for the input from Patricia Curtis, Patty Israelson, Kathy Lucy, Dr. Roger Kendrick, Pam Greene's FAQ, L.I.F.E, Dr. Susan Brown, Dr. Bruce Williams, and the FML.

DUCK SOUP (from Ann Davis)

• One can Sustacal (8 oz) by Mead Johnson
• One can (8 oz.) water
• Two Scoops KMR Kitten Weaning Formula or KMR kitten milk replacement (by Pet Ag, available at 1-800 JEFFERS)
• 4 oz. Pro Plan Growth Formula (or other high-quality dry ferret food) soaked in enough water to cover and soften completely.
• Mix thoroughly, microwave until the temperature of baby formula, and serve 4 fluid ounces at a time. Use in 48 hours if refrigerated; otherwise freeze.

TIMMY'S RECIPE (from Gary Holowicki, garyh@indirect.com, 602-921-7080, 800-209-1071, and Timmy the "miracle ferret")

• 2 jars (4oz.ea.) Earth's Best organic Turkey Vegetable baby food (800-442-4221).
• 2 jars Gerber's Turkey Rice (all Gerber's is OK in a pinch)
• 2 tsp. Ferratone or organic flax seed oil
• 1/8 tsp. powdered garlic, to taste. (NOT garlic salt!)
• 6-8 cc Pet Tinic liquid vitamins (Almost any vet, or Colorado Animal Health or Omaha Vaccine)
• 4 cc 500ppm Colloidal Silver (Silver Wings co., 800-952-4787)
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. of Nupro's electrolyte powder labeled for dogs (800-360-3300).
• 1/4 tsp. fine grain Kelp powder, Norwegian or Atlantic are high quality.
• 1-2 tsp. Greens+, by Orange Peal enterprises, 2183 Ponce DeLeon Circle, Vero Beach, Fl. 32960, 800-643-1210.

To feed I use a 35cc feeder syringe, also known as a catheter tip, that has a larger opening. I get mine from Colorado Animal Health, 800-235-2636, in Longmont, Co. My other 7 lap it up from a bowl. Feed as much as they will eat, every 2 hours or so if sick & not eating on their own. I consult a vet with herbal experience, as well as certified DVM. Prayer has been proven to help by studies at Harvard by Dr. Dossey, as if most of us needed "proof." I will help locate or send any supplements you might not be able to get locally. I've been doing that for almost a year now, and consider it just part of my ministry. "We're all in this together."

Cover Ferret

ROMEO & LITTLE GIRL

Romeo and Little Girl are the proud owners of Karen Montgomery. Romeo is the editor of Ferret Footnotes and Little Girl is the Creative Director.

They are pictured arguing over a layout change for the newsletter. Obviously Little Girl got her way-with a little bit of sharp persuasion.

Little Girl is a Marshall Farms ferret who was acquired from an ad in the newspaper. Romeo is a pet store ferret and is supposed to be Marshall Farms, as well. But he does not have the stereotypical dots of the Marshall Farms ferrets.

They live together with Abbey and Oscar, two rescues from Kozy Kingdom Ferret Rescue. And although they had their differences they know live together happily --well, as happily as anyone can having Abbey as a roommate! ("She's a bit moody and thinks she's in charge of everyone, which she isn't!" Little Girl.)

Romeo is also an insolinoma cancer survivor, although is still on Pedipred twice a day. Little Girl has not had any major illness and is a fat, healthy, and very, very happy little girl.

Both take pride in crawling into bed and waking mommy up two to three hours before the alarm goes off. "The early bird catches the raisin, " explains Romeo, "and feeds it to us!"

PRESIDENT & VICE PRESIDENT NEEDED

We are needing some members who are interested in filling some vacant officer positions. If you are interested, please email: president@texasferret.org or call the club at 817 498 1470 and leave a message. While our current officers are a talented group, they cannot do everything we need to do as a club. Your help is needed!

1999 Ferret Calendars

ON SALE
$13ea

Go to www.texasferret.org to order one now or call us on the Club Hotline 817-498-1470.

Gentle Touch®

&

TOTALLY FERRET®

817-683-6363

Special Pricing for Club Members

Kozy Kingdom
Halfway House & Rescue
P.O. Box 201013
Arlington, TX 76006-1013

Legalization Officer NEEDED

We need someone who is interested in seeing ferret "legalized" in the metroplex. If you can help please call the ferret hotline and leave a message. Unfortunately without some interest in the legalization efforts of our club, we will be forced to slow down our efforts.

Help us help our ferrets become legal in your towns as well as others!

Thank You

Ferret Stuff

Helpful Tips for the regular maintenance of your ferret.

BATHING

Baths are recommended no more often than once a month. More frequent bathing will dry out the skin and coat, and actually make your ferret smell worse as the body works extra hard to produce more skin oils. Ferrets will smell the worst in the 2-3 weeks after a bath as their skin oils replenish. Some owners recommend bathing only when needed (such as if the ferret gets dirty playing in something or picks up fleas) or twice a year. Bathing your pet eliminates the accumulation of glandular secretions that give the fur a flattened, oily look, or discolor the coat. A thorough washing with a ferret shampoo and medium warm water will remove heavy soil deposits. Bathing also aids in the reduction of such external parasites as fleas and ticks. There are a number of good ferret shampoos on the market. A kitten shampoo is fine or a no-tears baby shampoo which is good to use on the ferret's head to avoid eye irritation. In the winter, when the air in your house is dryer, it is helpful to use a conditioner on your ferret to keep its skin from becoming too dry. Older ferret also tend to have drier skin.

TRIMMING NAILS

Left untrimmed, long nails make walking difficult, painful, and ultimately, impossible. Long nails are dangerous; they become entangled in bedding and clothing and risk being pulled out. You may incur serious scratches even during gentle play with your ferret. Filing nails tends to be time consuming and ineffective. Nails should be clipped every other week. Clipping at one week may be uncomfortable for the ferret and cause retraction of the "quick" which can lead to later arthritis, and waiting three weeks allows the "quick" to elongate, which can cause pain while walking. Be sure to trim the nails on all four feet (back nails grow a bit more slowly than front). Use clippers designed for cats or dogs. These can be looped clippers, or special scissor-like tools designed especially for the task. Use human nail clippers as a last resort; they don't provide as much control, ability to see what you are doing, and the curved ends can cut another toe. Cut just below the white tip in front of the pink area (the "quick") of each nail. If you cut into the pink area, you will hit a vein and the ferret will bleed. Styptic pencil or Kwik Stop will stop the blood flow; cold water, cornstarch, or talcum powder work also.

Try one of the following methods to trim nails: (1) Ask a friend or family member to assist you, (2) "Scruff" the ferret--grasp the ferret by the skin on the back of the neck as a mother would carry a kit and let it hang in the air; your ferret should be rendered motionless by this grip. (3) Put a drop of Linatone or Ferretone on the ferret's stomach and while he is licking it off, you can trim the nails, or (4) Trim the nails when the ferret is asleep (be quick!). Distractions with Nutrical or Laxatone also work well. Try to clip nails AFTER a bath, not before.

From a previous newsletter, February 1997. See our website newsletters for more helpful ferret stuff.