Ferrets Flashcards
What’s unique about the adult ferret skull
Has no suture lines
Right adrenal placement
Adhered to wall of CVC
Ovulation of ferrets
Induced ovulators, seasonally polyestrous
How soon following copulation does ovulation occur?
30-40hours
how high in protein should ferret diet be?
30-40%
Why isn’t cat chow appropriate for cats?
It’s too high in starch/carb
Which vaccine can be fatal in ferrets?
Canine distemper
Canine distemper falls into which family of viruses?
Paramyxoviridae
Clinical course of distemper
catarrhal phase and a CNS phase
Catarrhal/viremic phase- 7-10 days post-infection: anorexia, pyrexia, photosensitivity, serous nasal d/c
Secondary viremia: generalized erythema, scaling, pruritic rash (starts from chin and spreads); severe mucopurulent oculonasal d/c and pneumonia are common +/- footpad hyperkeratosis
CNS: ataxia, tremors, paralysis
May or may not be preceded by catarrhal phase
Death in 12-16 days with ferret strains or up to 35 days with canine strains
100% mortality
Which human influenza virus is more pathogenic to ferrets - A or B?
A
Pathogenicity of B is low
Mortality of human influenza
low
Differences between distemper and flu
Dermatitis, footpad hyperkeratosis, central signs in distemper. Distemper has 100% mortality
C/S of Aleutian disease
Cachexia, melena, ataxia, paralysis, tremors, convulsions
Dx of Aleutian disease (gammaglobulins)
gammaglobulins elevated to >20% of TP
Which disease is caused by Ferret enteric coronavirus? (FECV)
Epizootic catarrhal enteritis
C/S of epizootic catarrhal enteritis
Acute: lethargy, decreased appetite, vomiting, green watery mucoid diarrhea and dehydration
Chronic: feces appear grainy (looks like bird seeds)
High morbidity, low mortality
Older animals more severely affected
Which disease is caused by ferret systemic coronavirus (FSCV)?
Ferret systemic cornaviral disease (similar to dry form of FIP)
C/S of FSCV
nonspecific
Diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, decreased appetite, weight loss
May present with CNS signs: paresis, ataxia, tremors, seizures, head tilt
Nx findings of FSCV
Nodules/plaques covering serosal surfaces, esp intestinal serosa and mesentery
Severe pyogranulomatous inflammation, often localized around vessels
c/s of Helicobacter mustelae
usually none. can see Gi ulcers, wt loss