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Name
Ferret ECE Disease
Short Description
Epizootic catarrhal enteritis
Affected Animals:
Ferrets.
Overview: There are not many infectious causes of
gastrointestinal disease in pet ferrets. However, epizootic
catarrhal enteritis, or ECE, has become common in certain areas of
the United States since 1993. Because ECE has appeared so recently,
very little information has been published about the illness, which
is sometimes called "green slime disease" due to the green-colored
diarrhea that infected animals often produce.
A highly infective disease, ECE spreads rapidly among a group of
ferrets. Frequently, infection occurs when a new ferret carrying the
disease is introduced into a group of ferrets. While the new ferret
will appear healthy, within three days to two weeks the other
ferrets in the group will become sick. Typically, the new ferret
will have come from a pet store or a shelter where there is a high
exposure to ferrets that may carry the infection.
The agent that causes ferret ECE, probably a virus, appears to be
stable in the environment. Inadvertently, owners can carry this
disease on their clothing or hands and bring it home to infect their
pets. It is more common for older ferrets, those over the age of one
year, to become ill from this condition; younger ferrets tend to be
asymptomatic carriers.
Clinical Signs: Clinical signs include anorexia, lethargy,
vomiting, diarrhea, and melena. The diarrhea can have a green color,
a watery consistency, and be mucus-filled, birdseed-like, bloody,
and even gritty. Severe dehydration can occur. There is no truly
pathognomonic sign noted with this disease. Secondary ulcers of the
gastrointestinal tract, presumably Helicobacter, are seen in some
ferrets with this disease. Ferrets with ulcers may paw at their
mouth or even gag. On physical exam, ulcers can be seen on the hard
palate.
Symptoms: Although this disease is known to ferret owners
as "green diarrhea disease," diarrhea that is green is not specific
to ECE since other diseases can have green colored diarrhea. Some
ferrets will vomit, have diarrhea, and/or stop eating. Not every
ferret will exhibit all signs of this disease.
Description:
ECE is a gastrointestinal disease that attacks
the intestines and, in moderate to severe cases, the liver. As a
result, sickliness, vomiting, and diarrhea can occur. Because the
diarrhea often is green, ECE has the nickname of the "green slime
disease."
The illness usually runs a course of only one week, but during that
time, due to the loss of fluids from vomiting and diarrhea, ferrets
can become severely debilitated if they are not given medical
support. Although ferrets rarely die from this disease, without
fluid supplementation, the disease can be fatal.
Diagnosis: As of yet, there are no specific tests that
conclusively diagnose whether ECE is present. Often, a ferret will
be diagnosed as having the disease because of the circumstances
surrounding the illness, the lack of other problems that might cause
ECE symptoms, and the ferret's response to the supportive care
treatment it receives.
Blood tests can help the veterinarian to rule out other diseases;
when severe ECE is present, certain changes can be noted in the test
results, such as evidence of dehydration or anemia. Blood tests also
will reveal abnormalities in liver enzymes that would indicate liver
damage, which can occur with moderate to severe cases of ECE.
Usually, abdominal x-rays will show that food is not moving through
the ferret's intestinal tract properly. On rare occasions, a biopsy
of the intestines will be performed so that a pathologist can
observe specific tissue changes indicative of ECE.
Prognosis: In most cases, the prognosis is very good for
ferrets with ECE. The disease usually lasts from five to seven days.
Some ferrets can remain ill with abnormal appearing stools for
extensive periods lasting up to one month. In severe or prolonged
cases of disease, clinical signs can linger for six months or more.
Occasionally, a ferret will appear to have recovered fully, only to
show signs of ECE weeks to months later.
Transmission or Cause: Presently, the cause of ECE is unknown. However,
it is suspected that some type of virus, such as a coronavirus,
leads to the disease.
Treatment: Since the specific cause of ECE is unknown,
treatment is directed toward supportive care of the affected ferret,
such as keeping it hydrated and nourished. The animal should be
given fluids and nutrition. By administering antibiotics, secondary
bacterial infections can be prevented. If the ferret's illness is
not severe, the doctor may attempt oral rehydration with water or
solutions such as Gatorade or Pedialyte. The more severe the
disease, though, the more important it is to give fluids
subcutaneously or intravenously.
Nutritional support is extremely important in the treatment of this
disease. Owners should encourage the animal to eat foods it usually
prefers. If the ferret is very ill, the veterinarian will feed it
calorie-rich food. Also, the examining veterinarian may prescribe
antibiotics to eliminate bacterial infections occurring secondarily
to ECE. Sometimes, anti-inflammatory medication is given to ferrets
with ECE to decrease the amount of intestinal inflammation
associated with this condition. In addition, some veterinarians will
administer soothing agents to coat and protect the gastrointestinal
tract.
If it is confirmed in the future that ECE is due to a virus, it is
most likely that procedures for treating the disease will remain the
same. It is unlikely that any medication will treat specifically a
virus suspected of causing ECE.
Prevention: If possible, isolate the affected ferret before
other ferrets become exposed. It is unknown how long the disease
remains infective. Thus, owners should keep new ferrets separated
from other ferrets within the household for up to six months.
Since people can spread this disease by contacting an infected
animal and then touching a ferret that is susceptible to ECE, humans
should resist petting and touching ferrets they encounter. To
prevent the spread of infection, it may be advisable for ferret
owners to change clothing and wash their hands thoroughly before
touching another ferret. Since carriers rarely show signs of this
disease, a ferret does not have to appear sick to be harboring this
infectious illness. Back to Encyclopedia Listings
