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Post by misti on Nov 24, 2009 16:36:14 GMT -5
Hey everyone Im trying to get hold of my vet at the moment but I thought I would see if you guys could help me. Indi has always sneezed/coughed a little from when I brought her home but it was only when she was playing etc so I thought it was just some dust she would run into while bouncing around but this morning its really bad all of the sudden. She sounds like she is wheezing like every 10-20 breaths and then every few mins she seems to cough. The sound of her coughing makes me think of when someone has a really flemmy chesty cough... Is there anything I can do before getting her to the vet to ease it? Or any other suggestions that could help me out would be greatly appreciated
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Post by Lynxie on Nov 24, 2009 19:23:31 GMT -5
If you can get your bathroom really really steamy, sit with her in there and let her breathe the moist air for a while. It can help ease respiratory discomfort.
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Post by misti on Nov 24, 2009 19:33:02 GMT -5
I had a shower with her in the bathroom so that steamed up a bit but she doesnt seem to be coughing as much as this morning, and this was before I had my shower.
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 24, 2009 20:37:26 GMT -5
Two things I can think of off the bat that could be causing it. Allergies. Dust, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, etc. The other is heart problems. Does she tire easily, and seem to cough/wheeze more when she's been playing?
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Post by misti on Nov 24, 2009 20:51:28 GMT -5
no she actully seems to cough more when she is just looking around. when she is playing she will occasionally stop and have a cough but less normally than when just exploring.
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 25, 2009 10:24:12 GMT -5
It's also possible she's got a hair caught in her throat. During shedding, poor Lucrezia always has a bad time of it. We have to brush daily, and change out the bedding every three days. Only way to keep her cough/wheeze free!
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Post by misti on Nov 25, 2009 15:39:13 GMT -5
It could be but she hasnt really gone through any coat changes because I got her in September and its been fairly warm here since then (coming into summer over here). And I got hold of my local apparently knowledgeable vet and they told me to give her honey to ease the coughing. I would of thought that would be a no no cause of the sugar.... am I wrong in thinking this?
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Post by luci on Nov 25, 2009 17:12:09 GMT -5
No you're not wrong. Honey should be reserved for emergency treatment of insulinomic ferrets.
I would try doing a really thorough dusting and vacuuming the house and wash all the bedding in just warm water and white vinegar with no detergent or fabric softeners. Also get rid of any fragrance plug-ins, candles, sprays, perfumes, etc. etc. and see if that helps. If she doesn't improve in a few days take her in to the vet for a work up.
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Post by luci on Nov 25, 2009 17:14:54 GMT -5
Another thought... What are you using in the litter boxes and what products do you use to clean with?
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Post by misti on Nov 26, 2009 4:27:22 GMT -5
We dont have any air fresheners or anything like that about the place so Ill have to lock her in one room for a while that has been hard core cleaned (I still like with parents in a big house with all my mothers hoardings so a little hard to give the whole place an excellent clean) Im using the newspaper pellet type litter and I clean with F10 diluted down in water (F10 is vet grade disinfectant, not sure if you guys have it over there)
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Post by misti on Nov 26, 2009 15:35:53 GMT -5
ok this morning she isnt coughing/wheezing as much but when she does it sounds more chesty than like she has something stuck in her throat....
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 26, 2009 16:22:36 GMT -5
When you do talk to your vet, you may want to talk about allergies. They can be allergic to almost anything. Including perfumes and other animals.
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Post by vkoslin on Dec 3, 2009 23:29:26 GMT -5
Mine are allergic to everything. I'm allergic to dust mites, which of course, my fuzzies carry in their fur. It's a house full of sneezing. It helped to change to hypoallergenic detergents so when their bedding gets washed, AND my clothes get washed (they get cuddled against my clothes often enough for it to bother them to). You'll hear Pooh bear sneezing like 15 times in 15 seconds, and then stop. Or coughing I hear a good bit. I don't hear wheezing, but when they sneeze, they do sound goeey, like they have some mucous in their noses and mouths. They also all lick their lips after sneezing, as if to lick off whatever came out. Gross, I know. I don't see ferret boogies, but they obviously sneeze a little bit out and then lick it off their mouths. But all of the above are what I describe as my ferret's allergy attacks. The poor things have a rough time with it sometimes but finding triggers helps a lot.
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Post by misti on Dec 9, 2009 15:42:17 GMT -5
Thanks for all the help everyone I do this she is allergic to our detergent because Ive just been using white vinegar to wash all the bedding in now and her sneezing has pretty much stopped apart from the odd one here and there. I also noticed that her nose has dried up. I didnt notice it before but she had a bit of a wet nose, whether thats from the sneezing or it was just like that but yes, now her nose is pretty much always dry.
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 10, 2009 23:01:29 GMT -5
Here's hoping you've found the problem! It's a real bugger that most of the time it's kind of hit and miss as to what is bothering them, and what isn't!
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