Clinical Neurology of Ferrets

Epidemiology and clinical presentation of canine distemper disease in dogs and ferrets in Australia, 2006–2014

“…Dogs and ferrets are the only domestic species susceptible to CDV, although wildlife (wild dogs, dingoes, foxes) might serve as disease reservoirs . The range of clinical manifestations is similar between species, though ferrets are much more susceptible to infection and development of severe clinical disease …”

Electrodiagnostic Examination of the Tibial Nerve in Clinically Normal Ferrets

“…These tests, combined with electromyography, may add useful diagnostic information in neuromuscular diseases of ferrets like Botulism, Toxoplasmosis, endocrine and paraneoplastic neuropathies, myasthenia gravis, disseminated idiopathic myositis, and so forth. [1, 2, 4, 9, 10]. The availability of reference values is especially important for symmetrical disorders, like hindlimb paresis, in which the contralateral limb of the same patient cannot be used as a normal control.…”

“…The most common presenting complaint is paraparesis/paralysis and ataxia [1]. These clinical presentations in a ferret are caused by primary neurological diseases or, more often, by systemic illnesses [2, 3].…”

“…Indeed, systemic disorders like endocrine and metabolic problems may cause secondary involvement of the nervous system. However, any systemic disease may cause weakness that mimics neurological involvement [1]. An accurate neurological examination is always mandatory in these cases in order to try to identify the presence of a neurological problem and to localize it.…”

“…Electrodiagnostic tests represent an extension of the neurological examination useful, especially in neuromuscular problems, in precisely localizing the disorder and in defining the nature of the lesion. Electrodiagnostic procedures, as the other neurodiagnostic tests, have only been marginally investigated in pet ferrets [1, 2, 4]. In particular, most of the reference values for electrodiagnostic tests have still not been determined in clinically normal ferrets.…”