>From: "Cheryl Glover" <[log in to unmask]>
>I read the information you posted the Ferret Digest.  I have a rescue
>ferret that is about 1 or so years old that is apparently blind.  His eyes
>have the frosted look to them.  He was rescued from a lady that kept him
>and his cage mate outside in Texas year round.  Can you give me any
>pointers on how to help this little one.  I am unable to bond him with
>another, at the moment anyways because he is just starting to eat real
>well on his own again and gaining a little weight.  Everytime I try
>bonding him he freaks out screaming all over the place.  His cage mate
>developed lymphoma but had a number of other things wrong and had to be
>put down about 2 months ago and he has been with me ever since.
>
>Can he be bonded with another?  Should I get him a cage mate that is also
>blind?  Anything special I need in the cage etc.
 
Dear Cheryl -
 
That frosted look sounds a lot like a cataract, and if it is in both eyes,
it is probably genetic and not the result of trauma.  Some bloodlines are
predisposed to this condition.
 
Try a menace response - bring your hand quickly to the face, and if the
ferret doesn't move its head (and you don't clue it in with sound, touching
the whiskers, or the air movement over your hand - blind ferrets are very
sensitive to these things) - he is probably blind.  Take him to the vet the
next time to get a good eye exam for confirmation.
 
It is tough to socialize a blind ferret - think about it!  Plus blind
ferrets usually have a history of being beaten up, dominated, and always
last in line for food.  Another blind ferret is not the answer - you may
have two neurotics on your hand.  Unfortunately, there is not an easy
answer for this.  Perhaps your oldest and feeblest, or your dopiest and
gentlest, with plenty of prior exposure to its smell via blankets or
towels.
 
No one says caring for handicapped ferrets is easy.....but I know you're
up to the task.
 
REgarding medical treatment - all we can do with ferrets with cataracts is
remove the cloudy lens - it definitely affects their vision, but they can
discern light and shapes.  Or you can wait and a lot of the cataracts will
"mature" - the cloudy proteins will eventually break down and become more
clear - this lens is no longer functional for focusing, but the light and
shapes may start coming through again.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3237]