ALLFERRETS®

​

  • Home
    • Donate
  • News Calendar Events
  • Health Desk
    • Immunizations
    • Health Topics
  • Resources
    • Ferret Owners >
      • Find a Ferret
      • Grief
      • Lost Ferret
    • Find a Vet
    • Shelters-Rescues
    • Find a Breeder
  • Get Involved
    • Our Partners >
      • Become a Sponsor
      • Become a Partner
    • Ferret Clubs
    • Abuse-Neglect
    • Ferrets Helping People
    • People Helping Ferrets
  • About Ferrets
    • Black-Footed Ferrets
    • FAQs
  • About Us
    • Vision-Mission-Values
  • Contact
  • Market Place

1/31/2021

Wisconsin  Ranch Mink diagnosed with COVID

Read Now
 

Covid-19 at Wisconsin mink farming industry

Picture



Jan 30, 2021:  Last October, not the usual flu virus was seen in the mink at two Wisconsin mink farms located in Taylor County. Mink of all ages and fur coat colors stopped eating, followed by coughing, sneezing, tiredness (lethargy), and then labored breathing.

For the next few days hundreds of mink died, in the end, totaling about 5,500 animals.  Within a week, after ranchers thought that most of the mink were going to die, the contagion suddenly stopped.  Veteran mink expert, Hugh Hildebrandt stated:  “... the next morning.....it’s just stopped. They all start eating. They eat more than they ever did before.”

Picture
Diagnosis: coronavirus.  In late summer 2020, Wisconsin had was a Covid  hotspot. Workers at mink ranches had already tested positive. It appeared that the mink got the disease from humans, called: “reverse zoonosis.”
So far there is no evidence in the US, that infected mink can transfer the virus to humans. Even so, there is concern among scientists that mink could harbor a variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans. As a result, the state added mink farm-workers to the category of residents next in line for vaccination against Covid, along with teachers, child-care workers and grocery store employees.

In August 2020, Utah was the first state in the US to see farmed mink infected with the virus. This resulted in a nationwide search for infected wildlife.  In mid-December a wild mink trapped near a Utah mink farm was confirmed to have the virus.  “To our knowledge, this is the first free-ranging, native wild animal confirmed with SARS-CoV-2,” said Thomas DeLiberto and Susan Shriner of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service. Soon after that, two more mink — both Oregon farm escapees — also tested positive.
Covid infection has occurred in other animals. American mink are the only species, however, to have suffered large-scale casualties on mink ranches around the world. Since the first mink got sick on a Dutch mink ranch in April, millions of mink have perished, either from death due to the disease or from culling, on nearly 400 ranches across Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Lithuania, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Canada. In the US, 16 outbreaks of Covid have been reported on ranches since August: 12 in Utah, two in Wisconsin, one each in Oregon and Michigan as of late January.
Picture
Are mink better at pandemics than humans? Experts state that wild mink “socially distance very well.”

Source:  https://www.channel3000.com/wisconsins-no-1-mink-farming-industry-now-seen-as-a-covid-19-risk/

Share

1/2/2021

Ferrets:  Winter Safety

Read Now
 

Protect your Ferrets from Frostbite and Hypothermia

Picture
Ferrets are fur-bearing mammals. Ferrets can handle cooler temperatures better than warm weather.  Even so if your ferret is usually housed indoors, their undercoats will be thinner in Winter, than those of ferrets that live outdoors all year round.

Although your pet ferrets have fun playing in the snow, they must be protected from over exposure to the cold which can result in “hypothermia.” 

What is hypothermia?
Hypothermia is abnormally low body temperature. It occurs when your ferret rapidly loses body temperature due to the sudden and extreme cold.   
  
Signs of hypothermia: 
  • Redness of the extremities (paws, nose, tail and ears) = “frostbite”*
  • Whitened skin and discomfort
  • Weakness
  • Shivering
  • Muscle Stiffness
  • Low heart and respiratory rates and difficulty breathing
  • Fixed and dilated pupils, stupor, coma 
If you notice any discoloration of your ferret’s skin or limbs, bring your ferret to the veterinarian  IMMEDIATELY.

What is "frostbite":
“Frostbite” is caused by injury to the skin due to cold temperatures.   As frostbitten tissues thaw, they may become red and very painful due to inflammation.

In animals changes due to frostbite can take days to appear, especially if the affected area is small or on non-weight bearing areas, such as the tip of the tail or ears.
                 
Signs of “frostbite:”
  • discoloration of the affected area of skin, which is often pale, gray, or bluish.
  • coldness and/or brittleness of the area when touched.
  • pain when you touch the body part(s).
  • swelling of the affected area(s).
  • blisters or skin ulcers.

Indoor Ferrets
In the United States and Canada, most ferrets are kept indoors.  If so, there fur will not reach the thickness needed to protect them from cold temperatures (less than 50 degrees F/ 10 degrees C). 

How long can my ferret play outside in the Winter?
Limit your ferret’s exposure to cold winter temperatures and snow to not more than 10 to 15 minutes, although smaller ferrets may be less tolerant to the cold.
 
DO monitor your ferret closely for signs of shivering, and bring her inside.    
DO NOT expose your ferret to freezing and subfreezing temperatures. 


Outdoor Ferrets
Keeping domestic ferrets outdoors is NOT recommended for a variety of reasons.  When kept outdoors, they must first become accustomed to the environmental temperatures over months.  

Even so, all animals must be kept in secure enclosures (sheds, etc.) from which they cannot escape. They must be protected from wind, rain, and cold temperatures, and in the summertime from sun and heat.  In such cases, ferrets must have warm bedding and are generally housed together for warmth. Water and food must be checked frequently, to avoid freezing and insect infestation.  

Picture
Domestic ferret with "winter" coat
For more reading:
  • Hypothermia:  Hypothermia in Small Mammals
  • Winter Safety:  https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/how-to-keep-ferrets-safe-in-winter.html
  • Frostbite:    https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/frostbite-in-dogs
 

Share

1/1/2021

Black-footed ferrets get Covid vaccine

Read Now
 

Endangered Black-footed Ferrets receive Covid-19 vaccine

PictureUS Fish & Wildlife vet inoculates BFF against Covid-19.
In summer 2020, endangered black-footed ferrets (BFFs) were injected with the then experimental vaccine for Covid-19 slated for human use. Testing was conducted in the captive BFF population at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center near Fort Collins, Colorado. To date no BFFS have tested positive for Covid.


Testing was initiated not only to protect the highly endangered wild BFFs, but also potentially to protect humans, should the animals become infected. Minks – both farmed and wild- were found to test positive for Covid in both Europe and North America.  In recent months the mink tested positive for the mutated strain of the virus, initially identified in the United Kingdom.
 
The concern comes from BFF’s genetic similarity to other mustelids, such as mink.  Mink not only contracted the illness, but also passed it on to humans, causing several EU countries to dispose of entire colonies of farmed mink, in the millions.  
 
The wild BFFs are native to the North American prairie. Their range, once spanning the vast American West, was reduced as humans exterminated the prairie dog populations, which is the BFF’s primary food source.
 
By early fall 120 of the 180 ferrets housed at the center were inoculated, with the rest remaining unvaccinated in case something went wrong with the animals. So far, the vaccinated BFFs appear healthy, and tests show SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in their blood. However, there is no data to show whether the vaccine actually protects against the disease.  Efficacy studies in domestic ferrets are still pending. 
 
Source:   https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/23/health/black-footed-ferret-covid-vaccine-scn-partner/index.html

Share

Details

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    August 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    August 2019
    April 2019
    March 2018
    October 2017

    Categories

    All
    Archived
    Automobiles
    California
    Cars
    Companion
    Ferrets
    Grieving
    Legal
    Travel
    Washington DC
    Weasels

    RSS Feed

Main Links

Home
About Us
About Ferrets
FAQs

Get Involved

Become a Sponsor
Become a Partner
Abuse-Neglect
​Donate

Resources

Health Desk
Find a Veterinarian
Find a Shelter
​Facebook



Contact

Like us on Facebook
info@allferrets.org
www.allferrets.org

Tell us what you think
Picture
Terms and Conditions
allFerrets® 2014-2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Proudly designed by widgIT

  • Home
    • Donate
  • News Calendar Events
  • Health Desk
    • Immunizations
    • Health Topics
  • Resources
    • Ferret Owners >
      • Find a Ferret
      • Grief
      • Lost Ferret
    • Find a Vet
    • Shelters-Rescues
    • Find a Breeder
  • Get Involved
    • Our Partners >
      • Become a Sponsor
      • Become a Partner
    • Ferret Clubs
    • Abuse-Neglect
    • Ferrets Helping People
    • People Helping Ferrets
  • About Ferrets
    • Black-Footed Ferrets
    • FAQs
  • About Us
    • Vision-Mission-Values
  • Contact
  • Market Place