Hi everyone. Joyful Holidays to all..

My very old gal MiniMe is dying. I actually scheduled an appointment to
put her to sleep last week. But after talking with Zoo at Zoos Ferret
Sanctuary, I changed my plans.

MiniMe had seen an exotic vet the previous month. She found nothing
wrong. This frequently happens after I observe a change in my ferret
and fear the worst. Usually the ferret dies within the next half year
or less. I have blood tests..complete..and x rays done.

MiniMe is a bag of bones. She was salavating, hind leg weakness, barely
able to move. Daisy just passed away. And I had her Just started on
prednisolone. So I took MiniMe to my regular vet and had another exam
and x ray taken. As we saw no enlarged heart, but the ferret is so
close to death..we had nothing to lose. We put her on Pred.

***We gave her a vitamin B injection and an injection of saline to
hydrate her.*** ANY vet should be able to do this. Call yours to make
sure they have the vitamin B. Mine has to order more.

I am doing the baby food with meds I put in after I heat up the baby
food. She is eating off my fingers. When I am home, she eats every 2
hours. She cannot get into a litter box anymore. She cannot get up or
down the ramp in a cage. She cannot walk on the ceramic tile.

So I put down the rugs I keep in storage for when a ferret gets too
weak to walk on tile. I put baby blankets and old blankets down over
most of the area next to my bed. And MiniMe sleeps by the side of the
bed. She no longer hops up in the middle of the night as she did for
SO many years to bite me until I get her a treat.

She does not appear to be in any pain. It is time to try to get more
food in her before I go to work. I have already had an extra week of
life with her. Please consider the vitamin B and the injections of
fluid. Talk to your vet now. A non exotic vet will be less expensive.
And it is a good thing to have more than one vet.

Find prices now. MiniMe will go in again next Wed. if she is still
alive for more shots to stimulate her appetite and hydrate her.

AND if you see the hind leg weakness and drooling, but the vet says she
does not have insulinoma, but your baby is obviously near death...think
of trying the pred. It is working here. It worked for Daisy for an
extra 3 weeks of life after being told she was not insulinomic with
drooling and hind leg weakness. Her blood glucose was 60. This can
actually be low for a number of ferts, I understand.

Hope this helps a ferret live out there for some extra quality of life.
MiniMe still walks around on the blankets and enjoys her soups.

Lisette

[Posted in FML 5803]