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• Swine Flu and Your Ferrets: What You Need To Know
   

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Swine Flu and Your Ferrets:
What You Need To Know

By Mary R. Drews

The whole world is at the ready to combat a possible swine ‘flu pandemic. But the big question is: Are my ferrets susceptible?

Considering that researchers in the UK are using ferrets to determine the course of the virus, the answer is a sadly resounding “Yes.” (See BBC Article.) Ferrets can get the same influenza virus that humans get. So what can you do?

Don’t Panic!

As with any ‘flu, the best way to prevent infection is to stay calm and focused. Your best bet to keep your ferrets safe is to use standard ‘flu prevention procedures. The CDC outlines these actions you can take to prevent getting and spreading influenza:

• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue to cover your nose / mouth if you can. Then throw away the tissue. This prevents spread of the virus.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Make sure you vigorously rub your hands together when washing, the friction helps destroy germs. Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Your hands are most likely to be where you pick up a virus; touching your eyes, nose or mouth gives the virus a way to get into your body.
• As much as possible, avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you get the 'flu, stay home from work or school. Avoid contact with other people to prevent infecting them.

It's useful to add a few ferret-specific guidelines to this list:

• Wash your hands before and after handling your ferrets. Hand-washing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of the 'flu.
• If you are sick, avoid any contact with your ferrets. If you must have contact with them, wear a mask and be sure to wash your hands.
• Do not let anyone outside of your family handle your ferrets. Or be sure that anyone who does handle your ferrets is using precautionary measures to prevent the spread of germs.
• If you have young children in your home, consider keeping them from handling the ferrets at all except under close supervision. That way you can ensure that a child doesn't inadvertently expose your ferrets to the virus.

The only way your ferrets can get the 'flu is if you bring it home to them. If the swine flu virus does become a widespread concern, you'll want to make every effort to keep yourself and your ferrets from getting it.

Why Is The Flu Potentially Dangerous To Ferrets?

For the most part any influenza virus will give you a miserable week to 10 days. The same is true for ferrets. Most healthy people -- and ferrets -- should manage to fight off the swine flu virus eventually. But there are a few concerns.

First, the swine flu that's circulating now has never occurred in humans before. It's unknown whether it has occurred in ferrets, but it is unlikely. That means that the body needs to figure out how to fight the flu without having any previous experience with this particular virus. That can be tricky for some people (and ferrets).

Second, those people who had a 'flu shot for the 2008 - 2009 'flu season aren't protected against the swine flu. This particular strain was not included in the 'flu vaccine. This means that people at risk -- the very young, the very old and those with underlying medical conditions -- who were protected against other strains of 'flu are unprotected against this 'flu virus.

Third, it's unclear at this time why this strain of 'flu seems to be severe in otherwise healthy individuals. Some health officials claim that this is because healthy people have a very powerful immune response that causes severe symptoms (basically, the immune response itself causes fluid to collect in the lungs). Other health officials propose that the people who appeared to be healthy actually had an underlying health issue that was unknown. Whatever the reason, we do need to keep an eye on the progress of this virus and who is most severely affected by it.

But how does this affect ferrets? The facts discussed above mean that we might see a large number of people affected with the swine flu, which, in turn, increases the chances that ferrets will be exposed to the virus. This means that it's even more important to consistently follow the precautions outlined at the beginning of this article.

Although most healthy ferrets should manage all right with the 'flu, you will still need to keep a close eye on any ferret that exhibits symptoms. You'll also need to take extra care with very old, very young or otherwise sick ferrets. These are the vulnerable ones in any population -- ferret, human or otherwise. We need to keep in mind how small ferrets are and how easily and quickly they can go downhill once they are too sick to eat and drink sufficiently.

What To Do If Your Ferret Gets Sick

If you or anyone in your family becomes ill with the 'flu (swine or any other type of 'flu), keep them isolated from your ferrets. If you notice any of your ferrets showing signs of the 'flu, it's best to isolate the sick ferret(s) and keep them separated from any of your more vulnerable ferrets.

Signs of the 'flu include:

• Sneezing and runny nose / runny eyes
• Coughing
• Lethargy
• Lack of appetite
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Possibly with swine flu, vomiting

For most ferrets, the best -- and only -- thing you can do is make sure he or she continues to stay hydrated, nourished and warm (but not too warm!). This may mean offering "duck soup," warmed baby food or other soft easily-digested food as well as Pedialyte or another electrolyte replacement product. Your ferret might also benefit from a high-calorie vitamin supplement. Provide blankets and warm sleep sacks so your ferret can choose the most comfortable place to rest.

Ferrets that become dehydrated may require subcutaneous ("subQ" or under the skin) fluids. If your ferret's scruff does not "snap back" from being pinched, he or she may be dehydrated. (The best way to tell if the skin is snapping back normally is to try it on your ferrets now, while they are healthy. That way you will be able to tell when they are dehydrated.)

The 'flu virus needs to "run its course." The best treatment is to keep your ferret as strong as possible during the course of the infection (7 - 10 days). Antibiotics don't fight the virus and are not necessary; however, a ferret in a seriously weakened state may benefit from an antibiotic to prevent any secondary bacterial infections that might occur. Talk with your veterinarian.

In older or infirm ferrets, swine flu might present more of a concern. Prevention is the best option. But if a ferret that has a chronic health condition (such as ongoing adrenal disease or insulinoma) comes down with the 'flu, he or she may require intensive care either at home or at a veterinary hospital.

In addition, any ferret showing signs of wheezing or labored breathing needs to be seen by a veterinarian, as these may be signs of a serious complication such as pneumonia.

Be Prepared

With the World Health Organization (WHO) urging countries to be prepared for a possible pandemic of swine flu, ferret owners can take the same advice: Be prepared.

Make sure you keep items such as these on-hand:

• Electrolyte replacements such as Pedialyte
• Baby food and/or duck soup ingredients
• Bleach (to clean litter boxes and use in ferret laundry -- be sure to rinse very thoroughly)
• Subq fluids and supplies (only if you are familiar with administering them)
• Masks to prevent giving or getting the 'flu from your ferrets
• Anti-diarrheal medications (such as Kaopectate)

With any luck, the swine flu will turn out to be not as serious as some of the predictions. Or, at least, you will be able to prevent any of your ferrets from getting it.

More reading about ferrets and the human influenza virus:

• FerretNews Issue #55
• FerretNews Issue #86
• Ferrets and the Flu Season

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