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Post by shilohismygirl on Dec 4, 2010 14:31:16 GMT -5
Hiro, my little guy is a Waardanburg baby. He's a sweet boy-and he is getting bigger by the minute. I'll tell you, he's surpassed the weight of Oz, and feels like one big ferret muscle. He seems like a big old healthy boy. But, I think his nasal passages may be malformed. When he sleeps, you hear every breath-and maybe it's not his nasal passages-because sometimes, he falls asleep in my arms and it seems like a laboring in his chest when I feel it. He coughs a lot more than the other guys, and not just because of shedding-he's been that way from day 1 of having him. We've taken him to the vet, and she says that she doesn't hear anything wrong, though. Maybe nothing is wrong-but he breathes differently than the other ferrets, and I know that this is not wrong. I guess it just worries me-it's unsettling somehow.What do you guys think?
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Post by mustelidmusk on Dec 4, 2010 16:27:58 GMT -5
He could just as easily have chronic allergies that result in a little swelling in the nasal membranes. ALso, if he's big, his air intake may be deeper/larger lungs. I know that Tonto sometimes SNORES . He seems to have a touch of allergies/allergic rhinitis. Like woith people, this gets worse in the winter when the heater is in drying out the sinuses and membranes . The reishi mushrooms help Tonto with this (I really should put a humidifier in the room for the brtas but I'd have to hang it from the ceiling to keep them from destroying it -jennifer
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Post by Heather on Dec 4, 2010 19:01:27 GMT -5
Where is your little Hiro from?? Is he a marshals baby? My little Boris is a waardenburg baby (marshals), with a malformed skull which affects his breathing because the nasal passages are partially blocked by a malfromation. He mouth breathes. It gives him a breathy sound, I always know when my little boy is about because I can hear him breathing. Oh and can he snore of course it would help if he didn't sleep on his head all the time ciao
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Post by shilohismygirl on Dec 5, 2010 0:52:51 GMT -5
He is a Marshall's. I would bet that something in his skull is weird shaped that keeps him from breathing like normal-does it really cause anymore problems than just breathing differently?
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Post by Heather on Dec 5, 2010 1:58:48 GMT -5
The malformation with Boris prevents him from being able to breathe in a scruff position. If you scruff him he starts to gag and panic (who wouldn't if they couldn't breathe) It takes him several minutes to recover and start breathing normally. Boris' jaw is deformed....he can't close it...the whole rear portion of the skull is flattened, it shoves the bottom jaw forward meaning he cannot close his mouth. He also has hip displasia, but at the moment this doesn't interfere with his movement ciao
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Post by shilohismygirl on Dec 5, 2010 7:33:48 GMT -5
I would say that Hiro's is a lot less severe than your furbabies'-really, the only times it really is largely noticeable is when he's sleeping, eating, or in my arms. He can also be scruffed, and acts normal during scruffing. I think with him, I am probably paranoid. I really don't want anything to happen to him, and I want him to have a happy life from start to finish-and a long one at that. Plus, he acts like a sweet little baby, and loves being held all the time. It just seems odd to me- though I do know that some do really love cuddling. His coughing a lot has always bothered me though-and I really hope it's not an issue in the future.
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Post by mustelidmusk on Dec 5, 2010 9:39:32 GMT -5
I've never had a waardensb. fert, but I've known a lot of people who have them,and they haven't noticed any difference other than being deaf. Many have lived long lives - no worse than any other ferts. I suspect you are paranoid. I get paranoid about Tonto an Kachina since they are litter mates from champagne litter. So far, they seem fine. I do worry about Tonto because he's one of those fat lazy boys (so cuddly). My last fat lazy boy developed more issues as he got older - so I get paranoid -jennifer
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