Help with ascending paralysis in Juvenile ferrets

RE: Help with ascending paralysis in Juvenile ferrets

Virginia Campbell — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 05:22:22 GMT

[quote user="kathryne hodgson"]am suspicious of Botulism as they have had contact with a working ferret [/quote]

Hmmm...I don't think they can carry and shed botulism. Be more worried about the raw chicken. Although having said that, what is the rate of botulism organisms in raw supermarket chicken? Campylobacter, sure, but botulism? Maybe...but I would also have a good hoke round the enclosure for bits of dead anything, or anything unidentifiably anaerobically manky looking.

RE: Help with ascending paralysis in Juvenile ferrets

Virginia Campbell — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 05:12:37 GMT

Sporadic cases and occasional outbreaks on of ascending paralysis and death in cattle due to botulism is reasonably common in areas where cattle graze chicken-manure spread pasture. My uncle lost a bullock with these signs; he did not spread chicken manure but there was a chicken farm adjoining one side of his fields and a lot of foxes in a block of forestry adjoining the other side which he thinks may have dragged bits of falling-apart carcase from the muck heap across his fields. AFAIK the dose of toxin needed to cause problems is quite low.

I saw the signs you describe- ascending paralysis culminating in respiratory distress- in a pack of hounds once. The first affected was the worst and was shot. The rest recovered with Synulox injections (for aspiration pneumonia) and nursing care by the huntsman and kennelhands. They had been fed butcher's waste containing raw chicken.

RE: Help with ascending paralysis in Juvenile ferrets

mariette asselbergs — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 20:07:40 GMT

I remember a case of several sheep dead from confirmed botulism after their pasture had been fertilised with chicken manure. The chicken manure from chicken litter was supposed to have dead chicken bits mixed in them as the source of botulism.

Mariette

RE: Help with ascending paralysis in Juvenile ferrets

Bob Russell — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 11:56:58 GMT

Does anyone know how common contamination of raw food is with botulinum toxin? Is the raw food being discussed here the same as given to dogs?

I can understand gull carcases being a high risk in view of the frequency of botulism in them but it really should not be an issue with commercially prepared foods.

Just want another reason to limit owners feeding some of the unbranded raw foods!!

RE: Help with ascending paralysis in Juvenile ferrets

Catriona MacIntyre — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 21:15:43 GMT

Botulism would be on my list too. We say it in a group of ferrets that the owner decided to feed on gull carcases.

RE: Help with ascending paralysis in Juvenile ferrets

Marie Kubiak — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 20:38:26 GMT

I saw similar signs and pattern but in a group of adults- they were fed one batch of raw food and 3 died, the owner went away and the housemate (unknowingly) fed a different batch of raw food and all was fine, owner returned and switched back to original batch and another 2 died. Histo unremarkable and toxic cause suspected. All fine when suspect food thrown out. I know the owner was trying to get analysis done on the food but was arguing with supplier delaying testing and I moved on from the practice. I'll try and find out if anything was done in the end.

I know of confirmed toxicosis in the last week from barbiturate contamination of a carcass at an abattoir but that is likely to be a single incident.

I would definitely switch food as it is unlikely to be detrimental to them and contamination would be one significant differential.

Marie