DJ and Brenda writes:
>We obtained a 3-4(?)yr old girl as a rescue from an owner who didnt pay
>attention to her.  She never obtained any vacs or health maintenance exams
>by a vet and was probably fed a poor diet.  ( Amazing how these cases
>always seem to be related to the sweetest, people loving ferrets.) Anyway,
>after about 3 months of good health and a good diet(TF+Iams kitten, she
>lost the use of her hind limbs literally overnight.  She gets around OK
>but frequently loses control of her bowels and urine.  She has some
>movement in her back limbs because when i scruff her she kicks them but she
>cant support her weight on them.  X-rays showed no damage to her spine or
>legs and we are baffled by what it could be.  She eats still and takes in
>water and we also now supplement her with vitamins and a high calory paste.
 
DJ and Brenda,
There are several things that could be causing this other than an injury.
*One* of them is ADV.  Most likely, it's something else altogether, but you
should have her tested for Aleutian Disease just to be safe.  Your vet can
contact United Vaccines to get information on how to do this.  I hope and
pray that it's something else.  I know knowledgeable people on the FML will
respond with other illnesses that can cause those symptoms but, if you
like, e-mail me privately and I'll scour my ferret medical books and get
back to you with what they say about the various causes of hind leg
paralysis.  Possibly, Dr. Williams will reply to your post, although I know
he's very busy right now as he's leaving for Japan in 2 weeks and just got
back from being away for a week.
 
Bless that man...I don't know how he finds time to post here, but I'm so
grateful that he does!
 
Judy
[Posted in FML issue 3195]