Table 1.
Diseases producing intermittent or chronic diarrhea in ferrets
| Disease | Diagnosis | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Bacterial, primary or secondary | Culture and sensitivity | Appropriate antimicrobial therapy, preferably based on culture and sensitivity |
| Helicobacter | Helicobacter PCR, histopathology | |
| Lawsoni/Desulfovibrio | Biopsy and histopathology | |
| Campylobacter jejuni | Culture difficult | |
| Bacterial, uncommon Mycobacteriosis | Histopathology PCR | Appropriate antimicrobial therapy; treatment for mycobacteriosis is controversial due to potential zoonosis |
| Viral; | Coronavirus isolation | Supportive care |
| Ferret Enteric coronavirus (FEVC) | PCR | |
| Rotavirus canine distemper virus | PCR | |
| PCR | ||
| Coccidiosis | Fecal floatation, direct smear | Anticoccidial drugs |
| Giardiasis | ||
| Helicobacter mustelae | PCR—gastric swab Histopathology—gastric | Specific Helicobacter therapy, usually triple drug therapy; traditional therapy includes metronidazole, amoxicillin and bismuth subsalicylate; other drugs including proton-pump inhibitors have been utilized |
| Histopathology—gastric | ||
| “Inflammatory bowel disease” | Histopathology | Some suggest anti-inflammatory drugs; caution in ferrets with possible Helicobacter or underlying bacterial or viral disease |
| Gastrointestinal neoplasia | Histopathology | Surgical excision |
| Chemotherapy | ||
| Foreign body ingestion | PE, radiographs, exploratory surgery | Surgery |
| Stress—medical or psychologic | History | Correction of underlying medical disorder or psychological stress |
| Detection of underlying medical condition | ||
| Idiopathic megaesophagus | Radiology | Unrewarding |