ABSTRACT
The mantra of all medicine is that prevention is better than cure. This holds true for ferrets and in this chapter the authors will describe some of the medical regimes for preventive healthcare in ferrets. As may be expected, disease syndromes vary according to location, husbandry and life stage: there is no ‘one size ts all’ approach to preventive medicine. While contrasting the situations in the UK and the USA, these descriptions should not be taken as ‘rules’ for ferret preventive health plans that should be rigidly implemented. Instead they are more guidelines that can be recommended in part or entirety, depending on the needs of that ferret and its owner. The situation may vary in other countries and the reader is recommended to read Lewington (2007) where there is an excellent collation of experiences from ferret clinicians around the world.
