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ECE and Ferrets

© Pam McInnis

The past month has been a whirlwind of illness and frustration in my ferret-ruled world. It all started with the simple act of trying to bring a new ferret into our home.

We first met Timmy at the pet store, where we had stopped to pick up some food and litter for the weasel gang. She was a small black-eyed white ferret, an energetic girl who looked like she was smiling. We stood over her cage for almost a half an hour, interacting with her through the glass and halfheartedly talking ourselves out of buying her.

A week later, my husband left on a Tuesday morning, when we had both taken the day off, to "swing by the post office." He returned almost an hour later, letters unmailed.

Timmy was with him. She was my Valentine's Day present. My heart melted at the sight of her in my husband's arms. I hadn't wanted to bring another ferret into my home - our gang of five seemed happy with the status quo. But she seemed destined to be there.

For three days, we allowed Timmy to get used to our house. We played with her and began the ritual of teaching her not to nip. She curled up on my chest and napped at night as I watched TV. We fell in love with her, and all seemed well with the world.

Friday night, we came home from work to find Timmy lethargic and unresponsive. Her eyes were watery, and her cage was filled with grainy, birdseed-like stool. I held her in my lap all evening, feeding her moist food and forcing her to drink. I assumed the transition to kibble-like food had upset her digestive system. She seemed tired, but much better, when we went to bed.

Early the next morning, I found her cage filled with green, mucousy stool. She was completely unresponsive now, the progress we'd made the night before completely vanished. I wrapped her in a blanket and we rushed her to our vet. She passed away as we turned down his street.

I learned that Timmy had Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis, often referred to as ECE. This is a viral condition in ferrets, which causes intestinal inflammation, grainy, green or mucous-filled stool, lethargic behavior, dehydration and drastic weight loss. In a baby such as Timmy, the symptoms can hit suddenly, and result in severe illness and obviously, death. In general, the number of infected ferrets who perish from this illness is low - less than ten percent for those who are diagnosed and treated.