Jack has a fever

Question
My male ferret has a fever and is experiencing symptoms of ECE.  He is 5 years old.  We began him on .60cc Kayopectate and .50cc Amoxicillin as of 11am, January 10.  He has dehydrated quickly so we are also administering 35cc Lactated Ringers solution sub-Q twice daily. We have also tried a moist, cool rag on his forehead, but the fever has not subsided yet.  What else can we do to bring his fever down and alleviate his symptoms?

Answer
Hello Scott,

Poor guy!  He must be feeling so sick.  He is lucky to have someone like you to care for him =)

There are a few ways to manage a fever.  First, take his temperature using a rectal thermometer and some KY jelly.  If you don't have one, they are readily available at any pharmacy.  A normal temperature for a ferret is between 101-103 degrees.  Marginally lower or higher is fine, but anything 104+ needs to be seen by your vet.  He would need monitoring and possibly IV fluids to help bring down his temperature.  

It seems like you are doing everything right.  SQ fluids will do two very important things.  It will replace the his fluids lost from diarrhea, and help bring down the fever.  Keep giving them as your vet directed.

A chilled rag is a great method to manage a fever.  Another way is to get a package of frozen peas (yes.. this sounds silly!) and place it under a blanket.  He can then sit there and cool down.  Ice in a bag works great too, but I have found frozen peas are the best... and it's reusable!  Never place the bag of peas directly against him.  It is too cold and would cause his temperature to drop too rapidly.

You can also place water or rubbing alcohol directly on his paw pads.  Ferrets lack sweat glands on their bodies, and instead  only perspire from their pads.  Placing fluid here will cause evaporation to cool the area.  Another thing you can do is place an ice pack wrapped in a towel on his neck.  The jugular vein runs here, and cooling this area would cause the slightly chilled blood to lower the body temperature.  Again, monitor his temperature FREQUENTLY and never use anything TOO cold that would cause his body temperature to drop too quickly.          

It is important to remember that fevers are tricky things.  Monitor his temperature CLOSELY (at least every 1/2 hour) on cooling packs. Hhe can quickly become hypothermic, which is dangerous.  Once he reaches about 102 degrees, remove him from the cooling pad and continue to check his temperature frequently for several hours until constant.  He will likely continue to spike a fever, so repeat the process if necessary.           

Just a word of caution!  Be careful with using warm baths to manage temperature.  Hyperthermic animals can quickly drop in temperature and become dangerously hypothermic!  I do not recommend bathing him for this reason.   

You may want to ask your veterinarian to prescribe some pain relief in addition to the stomach protectant and antibiotic.  There are numerous drugs available (bupernex, meloxicam, etc) and they would help make life a bit more comfortable.     

I hope this answers your question!  Good luck, and I hope he is feeling better soon.  If you have any other concerns, do not hesitate to ask.

-Cindy P.