I posted this on the FHL and wanted to post here for some more discussion
and input from everyone.
 
Eve was a transfer from another shelter when they closed their doors.
She came to us January 9, 2005.  No fur on her, and huge belly.  7 years
old and a single ferret.  After being her for a couple weeks she made
friends and grew her fur almost all back in.  She got soup daily with
melatonin in it.
 
She lost the excess weight too.... so much running and playing to do she
couldn't keep it on.  She looked wonderful and so full of life.
 
Our vet had gotten in the new implants per our suggestion.  We decided to
put Eve on it.  She had been adrenal for at least 2-3 years and we didn't
want to risk the surgery with her after so long.  The implant was a
blessing...so we thought.
 
She went in for the implant Oct 5, 2005.  She was happy and bouncing
around.  Once the vet put the implant in... that was it.  She lost all
her energy.  We monitored her at home, gave her soup and keep an eye on
her.
 
Finally on Oct 11, 2005 We took her back in.  We thought something just
wasn't right with the implant... because I hadn't heard of any other kid
having this problem (this was our first time using it).  The vet called
Melatek and they said that sometimes ferrets can become lethargic for
about 5-7 days after the implant as their bodies adjust... made sense...
 
She had lost weight due to her not eating too much... and was messing on
herself because she didn't have the strength to get up and go potty.
 
Oct 12, 2005 she suddenly took a turn for the worst.  She was refusing
soup and having a hard time breathing... at 11:06 pm she passed away.  It
was just so sudden.
 
I took her in Oct 13, 2005 to have the necropsy done to find out what
happened.  The vet said that it appears that somehow her heart was
dialated and pumped blood into her right lung.  He didn't understand
how that would happen though... not so quickly as it did with her.  Her
other organs looked ok (of course left adrenal gland enlarged).  He was
concerned that somehow the implant had something to do with it but didn't
know how.
 
Could it have been a bad batch that our vet recieved?  Could her body
have been rejecting the casing of he implant?  I have a ton of questions
and no answers.  If this is something that can happen to smaller ferrets
(her healthy weight was 1.04 pounds) then that should be put out there as
a warning.  Even if she had a heart condtion... this should not have done
this to her....
 
Our vet has talked to Tim at Melatek.  They are working getting to the
bottom of this... and will do biopsys if needed from her.
 
Anyone else have any thoughts or similar problems?
 
Joanne
Ferret Corner Shelter
missing her baby "Evil Eevers"
[Posted in FML issue 5032]