Unconfirmed case of ECE from Real Canadian

[fuzzfuzz]

I'll try to make this short

So, two fridays ago I got a new baby female RCF. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person for having not shared pictures yet. Shoo, you vultures

I kept her seperated from my 2.5 year old male Edward for a few days, let her adjust to the new home, and monitored for any obvious signs of illness. Things seemed fine, so I introduced them a few times. They don't get along very well (yet), so everything has been brief and supervised.

Well Edward came down with watery/slimy green poop. And stopped eating. He was still drinking a bit, but he seemed dehydrated. Classic signs of ECE, especially given the introduction of a new ferret. After giving it a day or two to see if it was just stress, the symptoms stayed and he was losing a lot of weight at the waist. I took him to the vet where they decided to set him up for a day of IV fluids, bloodwork, and some antibiotics. He's fine now and has gone back on food without a hitch.

ANYWAYS, the point of my story is that this new female had been in the pet store for only 1 day between when she had been shipped and when I bought her. And this store doesn't let anyone handle their ferrets for a day after shipping in order to cut back on stress. And they ship straight from RCF without a distributor middle man.

SO given all of this, I think that the most likely story is:
-the baby kit was a carrier for ECE (despite not having any symptoms) and brought it into my home.
-the baby kit most likely got ECE from RCF

SO I am writing this as a very loose warning to be extra cautious of Real Canadian Ferret kits at the moment, especially introducing new babies to older ferrets, or unecessarily handling pet store kits. If I'm not wrong somewhere along my assumptions here, more RFC kits could be carrying the virus.

I don't have confirmation from the vet that it 100% was ECE. They said it looked like it was when they took him in, but when I picked him up I only spoke with a vet tech who wasn't sure. I do realize that there are other possible causes for the symptoms he had, so I'm working on getting back in contact with the vet that treated him.

[Sherry]

It's always possible for them to contract it at the mill. It's also possible they were in with other kits, or even came into contact with other ferrets while either in transit, or at the store. Most pet stores have all the kits shipped to one central location, then they are taken to the various stores in the area.
I'm glad your older guy is ok, and I'd gather the little one is being treated as well?

[Heather]

It has long been rumoured that kits coming out of the farms are often carriers because this disease is common in high stress and over-crowded situations. Many of the farms ferrets seem to have symptoms that appear similar to ECE (or it is). Kits coming into their new forever homes will often display symptoms that will disappear after a week or so, with some requiring hospitalization but this is rare. New owners will often complain where ferrets of their existing businesses will come down with ECE type symptoms, often requiring interventive care, while the new ferrets if they get sick at all, are only ill for a day or two. The symptoms often mistaken initially for stress.
ciao

[sherik]

I remember a few years ago I had an ECE scare. My vet contacted a ferret expert Dr Parker out of Saskatechwan. She told her that almost all ferrets have ECE and stressful situation can bring it on. That is just what I was told, not sure if it is true or not.

[fuzzfuzz]

Jun 13, 2011 9:55:21 GMT -5 sherik said:

I remember a few years ago I had an ECE scare. My vet contacted a ferret expert Dr Parker out of Saskatechwan. She told her that almost all ferrets have ECE and stressful situation can bring it on. That is just what I was told, not sure if it is true or not.

I've read that, and I've also read from people that are convinced that's false, so I'm not sure either ;D

The baby is not currently being treated since she's had no symptoms. If she was indeed the carrier, she's already dealt with and recovered from the virus before she ended up in my hands. She's got 100% energy, 110% appetite, and normal poops.

From what I gather, the treatment for ECE is IV fluids if they're dehydrated and off food, then antibiotics to prevent secondary infections while they recover and their immune system is down. She has a vet appointment booked for Friday though, so I'll double check then if they think she needs anything for it.

[Heather]

Good luck, his healing candle is lit. Please keep us posted as to her condition. We all learn from episodes like this. You're right, information regarding this has been ambiguous, leaving us to draw our own conclusions by observations.
ciao

[fuzzfuzz]

Edward is doing well, back to eating 100% normally and his poops are all formed. The only rough part is the antibiotics twice a day. The first couple times he was actually hurting himself by pawing and scratching at his mouth to try to fix the bad taste. I have to have salmon oil ready after each one now so he can wash out the taste before he has time to freak out. I have to have him started on licking the spoon before I can even set him down from the scruff hold.

[Heather]

I'm so glad that he's responding to his medications and moving forward. That is so great to hear. Learning how to get meds into a fuzz is half the battle. Make sure you finish your full session of the antibiotics, even if he seems to be getting better and you don't see the need for any more. Follow the outline as given by your vet, this will guarantee that the disease (whatever it was) will not return stronger in a short while
ciao