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Our doctors believe the physical exam is the cornerstone to good medicine. During the exam, your doctor will review the history form you filled out prior to your office visit and ask you questions to determine how your ferret is doing.
For ferrets 0-3 years of age, we recommend annual exams.
For ferrets 4 years and older, we recommend semi-annual exams.
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Canine distemper is a contagious, almost always fatal disease in ferrets. You can expose your indoor ferret by walking through your yard where an infected raccoon, dog, or other susceptible animal has been.
Distemper vaccines should be given at 8, 11, and 14 weeks, then updated annually.
A rabies vaccine should be given at 3 months of age (separately from distemper vaccine), and boosted annually.
Due to the increased incidence of vaccine reactions in ferrets, we recommend that clients stay in the reception area for 20 minutes after vaccinations are given. The ferret should be observed for vomiting, diarrhea, and collapse, itching, or hives. After 20 minutes, check in with our front desk to let them know things are okay before you leave.
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| Parasite Testing & Deworming |
Though uncommon, there are several types of intestinal parasites that can infect ferrets. We recommend a fecal float test at the time of your first visit. We have special lab equipment to process the sample. Please bring in a fresh stool sample that you collect the same day as your exam. You can use a zip lock baggie or disposable tupperware to store the sample in your refrigerator. If you are unable to collect a sample, we may be able to collect one at the time of your exam.
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Daily teeth brushing will greatly slow the development of periodontal disease. We can show you how to brush your ferret's teeth - just ask us. Professional dental teeth cleanings and periodontal treatments may need to be performed annually starting as early as 2-3 years of age depending on how diligently you brush their teeth.
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Blood tests and urinalysis are recommended annually after 3 years of age. Due to the high incidence of insulinoma, a common disorder where excessive amounts of insulin are produced, we recommend a blood glucose level check every 6 months for ferrets three years old and onward. Early detection of disease can increase lifespan and quality of life. Even if your ferret is completely healthy, it is good to have baseline lab values to compare with later.
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Ferrets are obligate carnivores like cats. For information on ferret diets, see “Rethinking the Ferret Diet” by Susan Brown, DVM at http://www.veterinarypartner.com for a new perspective on ferret diets and the importance of avoiding grains.
Dry Food: We highly recommend Innova EVO-Ferret dry food, WYSONG Ferret Archetypal-1.
Wet Food: We recommend a good-quality canned diet for cats like EVO or Wellness You may even want to consider feeding a raw diet like Rad Cat.
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Ferrets are escape artists. We highly recommend having them microchipped.
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Kenneling and Exercise
Ferrets should not be kenneled 24 hours a day! They require a minimum of 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening out-of-kennel playtime daily for physical and mental health. More is better. It is possible to “ferret-proof” a room or even an entire house, but this requires years of experience living with ferrets and a good deal of creativity. Initially, a cage is a must to protect the ferret and the house when you are not able to supervise.
A ferret kennel should be a minimum of about 36” long, 24” deep, and 24” high for one to two ferrets. See our links page for good examples of kennels and places to get them. With any kennel, the wire bottom must be completely covered to protect little ferret feet. Good quality linoleum or vinyl flooring scraps work well (get the kind that doesn’t curl at the edges). These can be easily cut to fit the bottom of the kennel and any shelves. There is a lot of pre-made ferret bedding or you can use sweatshirts, soft blankets, etc. Don’t buy kennels with little shelves instead of nearly complete or at least halfway upper levels as they aren't really big enough to be functional, therefore, you end up with a 1-level kennel and a lot of wasted space.
Provide a sleeping area in the kennel that is completely dark. There are many ways to achieve this:
- Cover the upper level with a black blanket (best option).
- Provide a sleeping box made from a dark-colored Rubbermaid container, cardboard or wood box, and cover the entry hold with a black flap. (Drill air holes if you use a plastic box to prevent condensation.) Plastic is the least preferred box because they are hot in the summer.
- Provide 2-layer thick black fleece or other fabric sleeping bags, or black blankets, sweatshirts, or sweatpants.
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Any other creative thing that you can come up with that will provide a completely dark sleeping area to help protect the ferret’s adrenal glands from overstimulation and possibly predisposing them to adrenal disease.
By the way, have cozy, comfy, dark sleeping areas outside of the kennel will greatly reduce the chance that your ferret will feel the need to dig into your sofa or chair to find that dark space.
The kennel needs a litter box that is large enough for the ferret to climb into. Most ferrets will not use those little triangular ones sold as ferret litter boxes. Marshall Farms makes some good choices, including a high-backed lock-on ferret litter pan. If you don’t get the lock-on pan, just drill 2 holes and wire it onto the side of the kennel. See “the litter box battle” if you are having trouble with getting your ferret to use the litter box.
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| Cascade Ferret Network of Portland, OR |
We work closely with Cascade Ferret Network – they’re a great organization here in Portland dedicated to the welfare of domestic ferrets. They specialize in providing temporary homes and adopting opportunities for abandoned, abused, or otherwise homeless ferrets. For more information, check out their website.
www.cascade-ferret.org
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| Interesting Ferret Articles |
We’ve compiled some helpful articles we thought you might enjoy.
Ferrets - Bite Training
Ferrets - Litter box Battle
Ferrets - History & Background
Ferrets - Care of Ferrets
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When Dr. Ross Weinstein is unavailable to help your ferret, we refer to the following doctors:
Dr. Mark Burgess, DVM & Dr. Katrina Ramsell, PhD, DVM
Southwest Animal Hospital
6139 SW Murray Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97008
503-643-2137
Patricia Huff, DVM
Pet Samaritan Clinic
2519 E Burnside
Portland, OR 97214
503-233-5001
503-233-9523 fax
Deb Schaeffer, DVM
Gladstone Veterinary Clinic
18420 SE McLoughlin Blvd
Portland, OR 97267
503-653-6612
503-653-3459 fax
Call for doctor choice
Rock Creek Veterinary Hospital
1445 NW 185th Ave
Aloha, OR 97006
503-645-4458
503-690-1903 fax
American Ferret Association
888.337.7381
www.ferret.org
Archive of Ferret Health Articles
http://ferrethealth.org/archive
Cascade Ferret Network (CFN) – ferret shelter
503.231.0887
www.cascade-ferret.org
Disease Information, updated by Bruce Williams, DVM
www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Ferret Diet
(raw food diet)
www.radfood.com
Ferrets for Dummies
Available at www.amazon.com
Ferret Health List
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
Ferret Health Care – Reference material, articles, and forums
www.miamiferret.org/fhc
Ferrets Magazine
800.365.4421
www.fancypublications.com
International Ferret Congress
www.ferretcongress.org
General ferret information and lots more
www.ferretcentral.org
General ferret information and lots more
www.ferretuniverse.com/index.html
General ferret issues
www.ferretmailinglist.org
Oregon Ferret Shelter
503.557.8369
www.oregonferretshelter.org
Small Mammal Health Series – Articles
Care of Ferrets
www.veterinarypartner.com
The Ferret Store
888.833.7738
www.theferretstore.com
Quality Cage
Standard & custom ferret cages
5934 SE 111 st
Portland, OR 97266
503.762.2607
www.qualitycage.com |
