how to help ferrets

CROSSPOST FROM ANOTHER BOARD
"My husband recently surprised me by buying me a baby ferret from a pet store. I have had a ferret
before, but it was from a breeder, I do not really like the fact that the pet store ferrets come from
farms. Anyway, we noticed after he brought it home that it seemed sick. We took it to the vet the
next day and they told us it may be distemper or it may be just a cold. She is on a five day antibiotic
treatment and she is to return Wend. for a follow-up. I visited the pet store myself today to check on
the status of the other ferrets. I saw a few with the same symptoms (runny nose, trouble breathing,
sneezing). The store was staffed by teenagers, so I am guessing noting will be done to treat the poor
things. I also talked to the assistant store manager and she said that two others from this "batch" had
also had "problems", but she did not specify what. I need to know if there are any agencies I could
contact about this neglegence. All our vet could offer was to call the health department, but that was
no help. If I had the money I would buy the sick ones and have them treated, but I don't, so I will
have to help in a less direct way. Please, any advice you can offer will be greatly appreciated, I will
try all that I can to help these babies. Thanks."

If you can help please reply to silvertooth1@msn.com

[Nancy]

I'm going to send this woman an e-mail, but I'm hoping all her guys are UTD on vaccinations. It *sounds* like distemper, but it could just be a bit of the flu or a virus that they picked up(or Lord only knows what else it could be). If the store isn't practicing proper sanitation, then every litter they bring in after will be sick. And buying all the sick ones won't help--they'll only bring in more to replace them; it's an ugly vicious cycle

Thanks Nancy!!

Here is in replay to the story. I did e-mail the lady and gave her suggestions on what to do in her state. My husband and I bought Rose from a pet store in our town about six months ago. When I got her I noticed that she was sneezing, runny eyes so I took her to the vet. My vet told me she had an upper respiratory infection, gave me medication for both her and Luna (my first) and we thought that would be that. Well needless to say Rose has been back to the vet almost every month for a shot for bronchial asthma, which is the result of her having an upper respiratory infection for quite a while and noone did anything about. We do not know if she left the breeder that way or contracted it in the pet store, but of course the pet store did nothing so here this poor little thing has asthma attacks where we had to build almost like an incubator with a nebulizer attached so when she has an attack we put her in there help her breathe. She is only eight months old and the vet told me the other day she probably will not live to see two years old if we are lucky.