Ferrets. Examination and preventive medicine.

As ferrets are anatomically and physiologically similar to dogs and cats, the basic elements of ferret examination, disease processes, and preventive health are familiar to small-animal practitioners. Like other domestic carnivores, ferrets are tolerant of handling and medical procedures, especially compared with rabbits, rodents, and most nondomestic mammals. These characteristics make ferrets amenable to many of the highly specialized diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that are now available in small-animal practice. Veterinarians who wish to add ferrets to their practices should be familiar with the ferret literature, but they should not forget to draw from the wealth of knowledge in canine and feline medicine when managing unusual or difficult ferret cases.