are they sick

Question
I have 3 ferrets.  I am a new mommy to ferrets I have only had them for a couple of months.  I have one who coughs and sneezes constantly.  Now another one is starting to sneez too.  I took him to the ver and he said that he had a bacterial infection and gave me a antibiotic, he hates it and spits it out.  I am not sure what to do.  I love them so much and my kids are so attached to them.  I am scared that I am not doing the right thing.  I just cannot afford to keep taking them to the vet and get a wrong answer over and over.  It seems that around here not many vets know anything about them.  Can you help me?

Answer
Hi Shana:

I'm so sorry you have a sick little one.  You don't say where you live, but one suggestion is to find a ferret shelter in your area and ask them what ferret vet THEY use. They will most likely use the most experienced and leaslt expensive one in the area.  Also, quite often, the shelter operator would be more than happy to help show you how to get the medications down.  Sometimes that can be tricky, but the medicine has to go down or they don't get well.

Here is a link where they describe how to give medications to ferrets:

http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/part5.html#medicate

And I will 'cut and paste' the information from that website below for you:

"How can I get my ferret to take this medication?
If your ferret is just starting long-term medications and you're not looking forward to an hour-long struggle twice a day forever, take heart. Most of them resign themselves to the routine after a couple of weeks. If you only have to give your ferret medication for a week or two, at least there's an end in sight!
Liquids
Also see Rick Beveridge's description, with pictures.
If you're really lucky, your ferret will like the taste of the medication. In that case, either hold the dropper in front of the ferret or empty it into a spoon and let him lick it. If you squeeze the medication into his mouth, be sure not to squirt it down his throat, since he may inhale some and get pneumonia. Putting the dropper behind his back teeth and aiming in from the side helps.

If he doesn't like the medication, you'll want to mix it with something that tastes better, such as Ferretone, Petromalt, Pedialyte, or apple juice. Check with your vet to find out what won't interfere with the medication or its absorption. Some can't be given with oils, others with sugary foods, others with dairy products, and so on. You might be able to just mix the medication and the bribe on a spoon and get your ferret to lick it that way.

If not, suck the medication into a small feeding syringe, the kind without a needle, draw in a few cc's of the bribe, and shake it to mix them. Put a big old towel on a table or the floor, put the ferret on it, and see if he'll lick the mixture willingly. Be warned, ferrets can spit several feet. Don't wear your nice clothes.

If you have to force the mixture in, hold the ferret's head and shoulders with one hand so he can't back away. Put the syringe tip in on the side of his mouth and slowly squirt the stuff in, being careful not to aim it down his throat (or he might inhale some) and making sure to give the ferret enough time to swallow. You may need to hold the ferret's head up and his mouth closed, and rub his throat so he swallows. Once the medication is gone, give the ferret another small treat and tell him what a good ferret he was.

Pills
Some people have good luck with crushing a pill or pill piece and mixing it with a liquid treat, after checking with a vet to see which ones are all right. Otherwise, try completely covering it with something gooey such as Petromalt or peanut butter, then holding it on the tip of one finger. Gently pry the ferret's mouth open with a finger on one side, and scrape the goo and treat onto the ferret's tongue. Get it pretty far back if you can, but don't gag him. Hold his mouth closed so he can't push the pill out with his tongue, and rub his throat to get him to swallow. If he manages to spit out the pill, just keep trying. " .......copied from FERRET CENTRAL.ORG

I hope that helps.  http://www.ferretcentral.org has just a TON of information on it about everything about ferrets.  There is also a book called FERRETS FOR DUMMIES that every ferret owner should have a copy of. It's always best to be prepared for emergencies or problems before they happen - plus it's FUN reading! :-)

If there is a ferret shelter in your area (if you are unsure, you can check at http://www.ferretcentral.org and click on "Resources", then "Clubs and Shelters".  They can be a LOT of help - especially in situations like this where actually watching someone give the meds may be helpful.  OR you could go back to your vet's office and tell him that you need someone to show you how to give medications properly. Sometimes vets *assume* we know things that we just can't know because we've never done it!  I had to have someone physically show me (several times) before I could give meds well.

Hope this helps.  Best of luck to you.  If there is anything else I can do, please don't hesitate to write again.

My thoughts and prayers are with your little sick one. Hope he gets well soon!!

Sincerely,
Jacquie Rodgers