Ferrets (Laboratory) - Pathology

Introduction

Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) are thought to have been dometicated for over 2000 years and are descended from the wild European Polecat. Ferrets are often utilised in a laboratory setting as they are known to share many anatomical, metabolic and physiological features with humans. Therefore ferrets are often utilised in studies covering a broad subject matter including cardio-pulmonary, neurological and gastrointestinal research areas. Ferrets have been used as a model for studies into ischemia and ion exchange in the heart, influenza, neurological injury and gastric infections.

Physiology

Please find details of Ferret physiology within the WikiNormals section. Physiological information available includes “General”, “Biochemical”, “Haematological” and “Breed” parameters.

Anatomy and Histology

This section has been included to allow familiarisation with the peculiarities of ferret anatomy to provide a context for some of the disease and pathological headings found below. Therefore only anatomical areas with specific features warranting emphasis have been included below;

Diseases

For ease of use, the diseases of ferrets listed below are by body system, or where this is not appropriate in an “Other” category displayed after the body system sections. Those diseases listed below are not exhaustive but rather highlight common diseases encountered with laboratory ferrets.