My worst nightmare. The ferrets have the flu. As a rule it’s over in a few days for ferrets but it has to run its course through everyone, even my poor oldies. I did get a really bad fright with Edwin though. At first I just thought everyone was a bit low with the sudden cold, miserable weather (it happens) but then Edwin was so lethargic and drooling and, well, I panicked lol bit of TLC and he was fine though. I think he had gave himself a tummy ache not eating and after a treat and some egg he felt much better. So, ferret symptoms are general lethargy, weepy eyes, runny noses, and they can sneeze or be off their food too with their noses being blocked. They don’t always have all the symptoms though. In fact, most people don’t even notice because they’re just down for a few days, maybe someone’s eyes are watery but you think oh must be dust from under the sofa etc. I really wanted to help them, but it’s a virus. You can’t give them medicine or anything, just make them comfortable, maybe a bit of antibiotics or pain killers if they can’t shift it. But surely I could alleviate the symptoms right? I split their food between levels and made sure there was plenty of water at each level so there’s access while they’re feeling drained. Not much else I can do since their beds are nice and warm anyway and there’s good airflow so plenty of fresh air. Thinking about it we thought can they have menthol crystals? At least then they’d smell their food and have their normal appetite. As it turns out they can, as long as they don’t lick them. So, we ordered a diffuser and meantime used out peppermint disinfectant in the enclosures. That actually made a big difference and next day when the diffuser was plugged in they all migrated from their beds to a big pile in the vetbed to sniff that minty air. The good thing about aromatherapy for pets is if it’s not what they need you can tell because they just don’t go towards it. Pets should always be able to move away from the scents, ideally leave the room but in this case I’d say coming out to smell it better shows a clear preference. It’s an opt in thing. The bad thing is that a lot of oils are not pet safe, especially for ferrets, cats and birds, so you need to buy them either marketed for pets or Really know what you’re doing. I would suggest if looking at using these kinds of things you always talk about ALL the pets in the household. Birds systems being what they are they can very easily be killed by even menthol crystals. You also need to make sure ventilation is good, so the scents don’t build up too much and be very careful of what you’re buying being real essential oils (plant oils) or pure oils, not artificial scents which are more often than not toxic to pets. You can buy books on aromatherapy for pets very easily these day, or even find a veterinary homeopath who can recommend safe options for all sorts of health issues, or even behavioural issues. I said after this success, we can use it in the summer too with some lavender oil to help keep flies away. Lavender is also a fantastic scent for calming and relaxing, so if your pets scared of fireworks or generally stressed out this might be a good option for you to help them. No matter your problem it might be worth taking a look at this as complementary care for your pet.
Bye for now xx