It's flu season, did you know to protect your ferret?
I wasn’t sure how the first sentence correlated with the second. I mean, it is flu season (I’m currently battling one of those deathly colds that make me wish my head had a drain button) but what does it have to do with ferrets? I clicked to look at the comments on the status and all the fuzzy owners were saying they indeed do make sure to wash their hands before and after handling their ferrets. I wanted to know why. I hopped over to PetEducation.com and did a search for “ferret flu.” Five articles came up, but the one that seemed logical to read was Influenza in Ferrets: Signs, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention. Come to find out, ferrets can be affected by the same flu viruses as humans. As well as being able to contract the flu from us, we can pass it on to them!
Although we have the option of being vaccinated against the flu, it isn’t recommended for ferrets. Prevention of flu for your fuzzy is still important. If you do have the flu, it’s recommended to not handle ferrets. Just as it is with kids, a fuzzy owner can’t always find this to be a reasonable request to not handle their ferret at all. Our veterinarians recommend wearing a mask and washing your hands thoroughly both before and after handling when it is necessary.
To ensure the best health of your ferret during flu season, take the same precautions for them as you do for yourself, and make sure their home is clean. There are other diseases that ferrets can contract that have similar symptoms, so it’s always good to get your ferret checked, especially if no one else in the home has had the flu recently.
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