PLEASE!!!...WE NEED A VET TO HELP US !!!!!!
My vet is basically at a loss as to what exactly is wrong with my Charlie.
We NEED a vet with some ideas to consult with MY vet...
 
I'll do the best I can to explain the symptoms and what's already been done
First, charlie is approx.  4 years old...neutered...and I got him from Jean
at the Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter in Cleveland in November, 1999.  He
weighed in at 2.9 lbs yesterday at the vet...
 
about 4-5 days ago he started to have "hind-end" weakness...it did not get
better so we took him to our vet yesterday...the ONLY symptom he had was a
wobbly hind-end...
 
**possible urinary tract infection...took in a urine sample...NOTHING
  wrong there...
**another possibility was insulinoma...fasting...test...normal...
**he did a Hospital Blood Profile/Comp....
Test         Results:             Ref. Range             Range
ALB .......  3.32 g/dl .......... 2.60 - 3.80 .......... Normal
ALKP ......   159 U/L  ..........    9 -   84 .......... High
ALT .......    68 U/L  ..........   82 -  289 .......... Low
AMYL ......    42 U/L
BUN .......  28.1 mg/dl ......... 10.0 - 45.0 .......... Normal
Ca ........  9.64 mg/dl ......... 8.00 - 11.80 ......... Normal
CHOL ...... 118.4 mg/dl ......... 64.0 - 296.0 ......... Normal
CREA ......  0.71 mg/dl ......... 0.40 - 0.90 .......... Normal
GLU ....... 104.6 mg/dl ......... 94.0 - 207.0 ......... Normal
PHOS ......  5.29 mg/dl ......... 4.80 - 8.90 .......... Normal
TBIL ......  0.60 mg/dl ......... 0.10 - 1.00 .......... Normal
TP ........  6.55 g/dl  ......... 5.20 - 7.30 .......... Normal
GLOB ......  3.23 g/dl  ......... 1.80 - 3.10 .......... High
 
with these test results... plus what looked like a pretty thorough physical
exam to me...where he determined that charlie's reflexes were "too fast"...
he suspected a spinal cord injury...the weakness only being in the lower
part of his body...and him responding to , i think he said...deep pain
tests?... [he squeezed his feet...:)]
 
the "highs" in these results could also have indicated an infection...
 
**he gave him an anti-inflamatory shot.
**he said to keep him in a smallish cage with minimal movement...no
climbing...jumping...etc...so we fixed up a cage that fit the needs...
he was doing about the same when we went to bed about midnight...
 
~~~~~~~~
THEN...when i got up this morning at 8 a.m....and got charlie out...he
was curled up in a ball...head very shaky/wobbly...clinging for dear life
to my hand...and blood in his left ear...had not eaten nor did he drink
anything during the night, that i could tell...
 
called Dr. R...he just happened to be in the office and he waited for us..
**now charlie could barely use his front legs...hind legs...he held his
shaky head to the side...but herein is another problem for Dr. R...
 
**he said charlie should have been holding his head towards the ear
infection...[the bloody ear]...but he was not...he was holding it towards
the other side...he didn't respond as expected to the same "squeezing" of
the feet...no deep pain response on the right side...i think he said...
Dr. R. said he was getting "conflicting" signals... plus the fact that it
spread to the rest of his body so fast...
 
**He no longer is considering a spinal injury...suspects an infection...or
a lesion on the brain...or...or...or...but knows nothing for sure...
 
**he gave us an antibiotic...don't know the name...but it only comes in
pill and injectible form...so we have to give charlie shots twice a day...
 
what i need is a knowlegable vet to consult with my vet so we can pin this
down and save charlie's life...
 
I am sure i have missed putting something in here...i am sorry...but i am
extremely upset... right now...it does not look good to me...he won't eat
or drink...i am dribbling pedialyte and a/d food into him...but he can not
hold his head still and can not/will not eat on his own...i can see him
swallowing, so i know he is getting some of it into him... he tries to drag
himself to another spot sometimes...but his hind legs do not work at all
now...
 
Please e-mail me and i can give you my vet's name and phone #...
PLEASE HELP ME SAVE CHARLIE!!!!!
 
a pretty shaken up FuzzieMom...kat
 
=====
KITY=^..^=KAT... ( a.k.a. ...FuzzieMom ) and the krew...
Rascal, Sassy, Wolfie, Monkey(Shine), Meeja, Narmy, PopPye, Noodles (Slyk),
Charlie, Sandi-Mandi, Hope HollyHeart, & Edison!, "Lucky(13), and
Princess!!!!!
Remembering Marcel, LittleWhiteGirl & OldGuy...at the Bridge!
THE FERRETS' PAGE..."http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/2396"
Help Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter...Use I-Give...
http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=7364&mid=103840
[Posted in FML issue 3083]