November 29, 2008

Though dogs and cats are immune to many of the airborne illnesses that affect people in the winter, ferrets could very well get the flu this season, veterinarians say. (Pet Pulse Illustration by Jerry Crum)

NEW YORK -- Though the chill might send shivers down their spines, dogs and cats are generally immune to the effects of the encroaching cold, windy season.

Ferrets, on the other hand, might experience winter the same way many humans do -- stuck in bed with a bad case of the sniffles.

"Ferrets can get the same influenza virus that people do," said Douglas Aspros, DVM, of the Bond Animal Hospital in White Plains, N.Y. "A lot of pet owners don't know it, but they should."

Not only can ferrets contract a similar strain of influenza that affects humans, but they are also likely to become sick from human contact.

"There is a definite link here between human and ferret influenza," said Byron Delanavarre, DVM, an exotic veterinarian in Chicago. "Humans can give it to ferrets and the ferrets could then pass it on to another member of the family."

Delanvarre says he treats around five to 10 ferrets a week and is starting to see an increase in influenza cases. When diagnosing a ferret with the flu, Delanvarre often finds that someone in the ferret's family has had the flu in the past week or so.

"We are trying to do as much education about this as possible, just to keep owners aware," he said.

"Any time you have an exotic animal, it is important to make sure clients have a good, accurate knowledge base of the husbandry and management of the species."

Ferrets can contract influenza from humans' dirty hands, or exposure to snot and mucus. The symptoms include those that generally accompany the flu in humans: a cough, runny nose and fever.

Ferrets might also exhibit lethargy, depression, anorexia, an upper respiratory nasal infection and conjunctivitis.

Both Delanvarre and Aspros say an affected ferret's health risk increases when the influenza is untreated, providing an open window to pneumonia.

"Younger ferrets are at a greater risk for developing something more serious, like pneumonia," said Aspros, noting that while he has never seen ferrets die from influenza, he has observed some become very ill.

Preventing ferrets from contracting influenza is a common sense technique, the veterinarians say.

"If you have, or have had the flu, you really want to stay pretty far away from the ferret," Aspros said.

"These viruses are spread by either coughing or wiping your nose onto your hands or whatever, so hand washing is certainly a big part of it."

The winter months also pose a few risks for dogs and cats, Aspros says.

"Owners want to be sure that their dogs' feet don't get caught up on ice, and that you clean their paws and remove the ice melters for them," he said of the things owners can do to prevent serious infections.

While the "ice melters," or manufactured products to get rid of snow and slippery ice on pavement are not toxic, they can cause dogs to experience an upset stomach.

Dogs also are susceptible to a canine influenza, which originated as a disease in horses, Delanvarre said. The contagious virus H3N8 was responsible for a major dog flu outbreak in New York in 2005; in 2006, the dog flu was confirmed in 22 other states.

Dogs contract the illness from other sick dogs, said Delanvarre, who has seen a recent drop in the number of canine flu cases.

There are, though, "still a few cases out there."

"We saw more of it several months ago, but we are still trying to get the word out," he said. "We used to see two or three cases a day, and now we are seeing one or two per week."

"If your dog might be predisposed, be careful and keep them at home. Try not to board them or bring them to obedience classes."

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