Pocket Pet · Mustela putorius furo · typical adult weight 0.60–2.00 kg
Azathioprine is dosed at 0.9 mg/kg PO q24-72h in ferrets, per Burgess M, Garner M. Clinical aspects of inflammatory bowel disease in ferrets. Exot DVM. 2002;4(2):29-34. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.954 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.10 (Miscellaneous Agents Used in Ferrets.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929. Azathioprine is used in ferrets for Immunosuppression — chronic hepatitis; inflammatory bowel disease. Routes documented in ferrets: PO. A typical adult ferret weighs 0.60–2.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 1 cited dose rule for Azathioprine in ferrets, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
US trade names: Imuran
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 0.9 mg/kg | q24-72h | Immunosuppression — chronic hepatitis; inflammatory bowel disease | Weak | Burgess M, Garner M. Clinical aspects of inflammatory bowel disease in ferrets. Exot DVM. 2002;4(2):29-34. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.954 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.10 (Miscellaneous Agents Used in Ferrets.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Every held source for this drug and species, as printed. Where they differ, both are shown — the choice is yours, not ours.
The sources disagree for this combination. The ranges below do not overlap on a comparable route. This is not an error in one of them — published veterinary references differ, and reconciling them for a particular patient is a clinical judgement.
| Dose (mg/kg) | Route | Source | As printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | PO | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.45 | 0.5 mg/kg p.o. q48h to 5 mg/kg p.o. q24h for eosinophilic gastroenteritis (limited evidence); 0.9 m |
| 5 | PO | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.45 | 0.5 mg/kg p.o. q48h to 5 mg/kg p.o. q24h for eosinophilic gastroenteritis (limited evidence); 0.9 mg/kg p.o. q24-72h wit |
| 0.9 | PO | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.45 | . q24h for eosinophilic gastroenteritis (limited evidence); 0.9 mg/kg p.o. q24-72h with prednisolone and dietary management for inflammatory bowel disease |
Need the exact dose for your patient?
These ranges are per kg. Enter your ferret's weight to get the precise dose and draw-up volume — unit and concentration math done for you.
Prodrug converted to 6-mercaptopurine, which inhibits purine synthesis. Suppresses T-cell and B-cell proliferation.
TOXIC to cats (severe bone marrow suppression — use only if no alternatives, at very low dose every 48-72h). Monitor CBC regularly. Hepatotoxicity. Pancreatitis. Drug interaction with allopurinol (reduce dose 75%).
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for ferrets may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Azathioprine dose range in ferrets, with cited source references: PO 0.9 mg/kg q24-72h. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Azathioprine in ferrets: PO.
Azathioprine is indicated in ferrets for: Immunosuppression — chronic hepatitis; inflammatory bowel disease.
These are general warnings for Azathioprine across species; consult the ferret dosing table above for species-specific guidance. TOXIC to cats (severe bone marrow suppression — use only if no alternatives, at very low dose every 48-72h). Monitor CBC regularly. Hepatotoxicity. Pancreatitis. Drug interaction with allopurinol (reduce dose 75%).
Why a species-specific page? Azathioprine pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in ferrets — the rules above are the citations specific to this species, not generic recommendations.
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice.
| 0.9 | PO | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 11.10 | 0.9 mg/kg PO q24-72h |
Figures are transcribed from the cited page or table of each held edition and are shown for reference only. They are not dose recommendations, they do not feed the calculator, and none has been reviewed by a veterinarian.