Sick Aggressive Ferret - Distemper?

Question
I have a 4 month old male(Puck) who caught the flu. We took him to the vet to get checked and medicated, seperated him from the 7 month old(Loki) and have followed all the vets advice.Before he got sick, he was friendly and loving. Today when I went to clean his cage I set him on the floor and he wandered around. Loki woke up and wanted out, so I let him out. Puck attacked Loki, and I thought, good, he's feeling better and wants to play. Then he bit my foot hard enough to draw blood. I smacked him away out of reflex. He latched on to my hand and wouldn't let go, so I set him in his cage and pried his mouth off me. A few minutes later he attacked his litter box, so I gave him some toys. He attacked those (which he's supposed to) Then acted like he was choking and is now sleeping outside his bed-ball which he never does. I know why he attacked my hand, he felt threatened, but what about the rest of his odd behavior? The pet store said he was vaccinated, but I am so worried he has distemper, although the vet said probably not since Loki is okay.

Answer
Hi Terri:

You don't say how long Puck has been sick or what his symptoms are, so I will just give you information on canine distemper in ferrets and you can compare symptoms.  *IF* you do see similarities, I recommend that you call your vet and have Puck examined more thoroughly.  Canine distemper is virtually 100% fatal in ferrets within 12 to 42 days after exposure. Since there IS an incubation period, Loki would not necessarily be showing symptoms yet. Additionally, Loki may have been vaccinated against distemper that has kept him from getting it - You didn't say if either one or both ferrets have been vaccinated and I don't like to "assume" in a case like this.

So, the first thing you need to do it isolate Puck - immediately. It sounds to me as if he needs to be seen by a vet. I suspect he is dehydrated at the very least. If you can, you should try to get some fluids down him. Try warming a little Pedialyte and offering it to him from your finger or a spoon and see if he will take that. OR some Uncle Jim's Duk Soup Mix and warm water is another great way to get lots of fluids down a ferret. You can make it really watery and my ferret will just drink and drink as long as the water is "duk soup flavored".  Understand that dehydration in itself *can* cause Puck to act strangely and it can also take his life, so I hope you will see that he gets some fluids (like ounces, not drops or teaspoonfuls). If you don't get a LOT down him, he needs to go to the vet and get some sub-Q fluids - at least 75cc fluids subQ twice a day for a day or two could mean the difference between life and death.

IF HE HAS DISTEMPER - ONLY YOUR VET CAN DIAGNOSE THIS... Once they get the disease, euthanasia is usually recommended to prevent the spread of disease to other animals and to put the animal out of misery. The signs of distemper are loss of appetite, foul-smelling yellow or green sticky eye discharge, swollen eyelids, green or yellow nasal discharge, swelling of lips & chin, thick brown crusts form on the eyes, nose, lips and chin, lethargy, diarrhea, pneumonia symptoms, dehydration, swelling of the anus, orange crusting of the skin in the abdominal and anal area, muscular tremors, hyper-excitability, convulsions, and in the later stages thickening and hardening of the paw pads. Many of these symptoms are never seen because the ferret will die first.

Have Loki and Puck had their distemper shots?  If so, when did they have them last?  They need to have boosters every year to stay current.  Distemper IS very very contagious. The virus can even be carried into our homes on our shoes; for this reason every dog and ferret in our homes needs to be vaccinated for canine distemper. Ferrets are not susceptible to feline distemper. As a ferret mom who has experienced first-hand a life-threatening allergic reaction to a distemper booster, I also want to remind everyone to have your vet give your ferret a dose of benadryl 15 mins BEFORE the distemper shot.  IF your ferret has a reaction to the distemper shot, it *MAY* have a chance of living IF it has had benadryl before receiving the booster. My Kylie's heart stopped several times in 30 mins after her last booster, but the vet was able to save her thanks to the fact that she had a benadryl pre-treatment before the vaccination.

I wish your little Puck and Loki the best. I hope Puck gets feeling better really soon.  I'm very worried. Not knowing his history, I am especially concerned that your distemper fears may be well founded. I hope not, but only you know that. There IS an incubation period, however, and perhaps if you do have to call your vet again you need to remind them of that.

Please let me know if Puck makes it okay?  He needs fluids and now. He is obviously in serious condition. What you describe is truly not normal even for a sick ferret. I hope you will get him in to the vet to be examined and/or get some fluids at the very least.  I will keep him and Loki in my thoughts and prayers. Please give me an update?

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers