roixe coughin and snezzin

Question
18 weeks old been caoughin and sneezin for about a aweek took to vet today and she said sounded fine gave her her distemoer shot and also rabies shot , she has not hadrly moved senice brught her home, very worried is anything we can do to help sneezin and coughin

Answer
Oh my.  You really need to change vets.  NEVER ever vaccinate a sick pet, which your vet SHOULD know.  Vaccines will mount an immune reaction, and if your pet is already ill, it can make them very very sick.  Secondly, Distemper and Rabies should NEVER be give together.  They need to be spaced two weeks apart in case of an anaphalactic reaction to one of them.  Anaphylaxis is serious and life threatening, and usually occurs within 30 minutes of vaccinations (it is a severe allergic reaction, same as why some people need to be hospitalized when they get a bee sting).  The problem with giving both vaccinations at the same time is, it cannot be determined which vaccine is causing the reaction.  I would not recommend going back to that vet again.  

Just because a pet "sounds fine" does not mean there isn't a problem.  She need x-rays right away and most likely antibiotics to treat an infection that accumulated in her lungs.  One of my ferrets was brought in for exactly the same symptoms, and all my vet did was run blood-work which turned out uneventful.  He sent her home without anything, but I had a sneaking suspicion something more was going on.  The Emergency clinic I worked at had an x-ray machine, so I snapped an x-ray myself that night and sent it to a radiologist.  Guess what?  She had pneumonia.  So I had one of the doctors there prescribe some antibiotics and she got better.  I never went back to that vet.

I do have a question for you.  Is this her second set of vaccines or her first?  The reason I am asking (and yes, this is rare) but my ferret's pneumonia turned out to be due to a delayed hypersensitivity to vaccinations (not anaphylaxis.. more of a delayed slow reaction).  Every time she got her shots (no matter if it was distemper OR rabies.. and she always got them 2 weeks apart) she came down with the same thing but worse every time.  She would get so sick 1-2 weeks after the shot with coughing and sneezing that developed into pneumonia.  I had NO clue why.  After the 3rd time, I made the connection.  She must be allergic to the preservative in the vaccine, since it did not matter WHICH she had and they were made by the same company.  I am no longer vaccinating her since it would continue to happen and it is far too risky.

Your ferret needs to be seen ASAP at an emergency clinic.  It could be pneumonia, flu (yes, ferrets can get human flu), bordatella (same as canine kennel cough).  Some things get better on their own, but my rule is if it is not improving by day 3 or becoming worse, they go to the vet for immediate x-rays.  The problem is, even a mild cough can get worse and develop into pneumonia if it dosen't resolve on it's own.  By now I am sure she needs antibiotics and treatment since it's been going on far too long and the extra vaccinations today  will not help the situation.  

It can be difficult to find an emergency clinic in your are that will see ferrets at this time of night.  Try calling around to those close to you and ask them who they might recommend.  Also, try the nearest school of veterinary medicine.  There are 28 in the USA, so hopefully one is close enough to drive to.  They usually have emergency hours and exotics specialists on call.  Just make sure you call ahead and make sure someone is available.  

If you cannot find anyone (and this is an unfortunate possibility) make sure you bring her in ASAP tomorrow morning.  

In the meantime, here are some things you can do:

Check her temperature.  A normal ferret temp is 101-103 degrees.  If it is more than 104 or less than 100 it is an emergency.  Warm her up with towels out of the drier if she is too cold, BUT CHECK HER TEMP EVERY 15 MINUTES AND DISCONTINUE WARMING HER WHEN SHE HITS 101 DEGREES.  This is very important, since you can overheat her and lead to dangerous hyperthermia.  If her temp is too high, there is a risk of harming her brain.  Over 104 is a very acute emergency and she needs cool IV fluids and such to bring the temp down. This should only be done by your vet.  Do not try to cool her down yourself since it can be VERY tricky.

Make sure she is eating and drinking.  Ferrets NEED to eat every 4-6 hours due to their high metabolism or they can degrade in health rapidly.  I can send you a recipe to force feed her if necessary.   Please let me know if you need it.  

Put her in a room full of steam.  Your bathroom is great for this.  Turn the shower on the warmest it will go and make it as steamy as possible.  Put her in a carrier or hold her .  Do not have her on the floor since it gets little steam since heated air rises.  Keep her in the steam for at least 10-20 minutes.  breathing warm, humid air is a very helpful thing and will help break up any congestion in the lungs.  Nebulizers with water or saline in the chamber work great too if you have one.  I happened to, which is what I used for my ferret.  Do this as often as possible.  Even once ever 2 hours.  

I'm glad you asked me about this since I have A LOT of experience with a similar situation.  Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions or need the recipe to force feed her.  She does need to be seen by a vet ASAP for x-rays and blood-work NOW.  I am worried she will only continue to decline as the night progresses.  I hope she gets better, and have my fingers crossed.  Luckily youth is on her side, so I am hoping she pulls through.

-Cindy P