[The "Oh Geez" was because I dropped the anon-list people on the floor
again.  Sorry guys.  I appear to have last sent issue 126 to them.
If they want them, please send me mail]
 
The last one I got before issue 135 you just sent out was 126.  I was
wondering what happened.
 
I sent out a request for any info on what the list thought might be wrong
with my ferret Dixie a few months ago but never saw anything.  I'm not sure
if my message was sent out, and replied to in the issues that I missed.  I'm
still open to advice.
 
[Didn't you get a mail message from me?]
 
Dixie is a neutered/descented jill about 6 years old.  She started loosing
fur on her tail a few months ago but remained active and fat.  Then her vulva
started swelling to almost the size of a dime.  It looked very similar to the
picture of the ferret in heat in the Winstead book.  She didn't loose any
weight and was still very active.  I was very confused since she showed all
of the symptoms of being in heat even though she had been neutered.  I know
that a ferret left in heat is a very serious situation and that the risk of
infection is probably greater than 50%.  Every once in a while she would also
have episodes where she would loose coordination like she was drunk and
almost go into a catatonic state.  These periods would usually pass after an
hour or so and then she would be normal.  The problem is that I live in a
state where ferrets are still illegal.  I found a vet who was willing to
treat her but had almost no experience with ferrets.  He diagnosed her as
having a tumor(s) on her adreanal gland which would explain why her hormones
were out of whack.  He put her on a cancer medication that was supposed to
treat the tumors if they were benign, but it had no effect.  He finally
operated on her and removed one of her adreanal glands and a tumor on her
pancreas.  As this was the first ferret that he had operated on, I was a
little skeptical that he even knew what the inside of a ferret was supposed
to look like.  She recovered from the surgery well and the swelling of her
vulva decreased by more than a half although it still wasn't normal.  The vet
also prescribed steriods.  I thought that everything was going to be fine,
but Dixie started loosing weight and her catatonic episodes started getting
more frequent and severe.  Most the time, she seemed to be barely conscience
and almost couldn't walk.  She also seemed to be very hot.  I had about given
up hope on her, and if she didn't show improvement within a day or two, I was
going to have her put to sleep (if she even lived that long).  My fiancee who
used to be a vetrinary technician, called up the vet and bawled him out for
not putting Dixie on antibiotics.  He gave us a perscription of Amoxicillian
(sp?) and within hours after taking it, Dixie showed great improvement.  We
kept her on it for two weeks and since then she hasn't had one episode and
has put on weight so that she is back to her normal.  She is as hyper as she
ever was.  Her vulva is still not back to where it should be, but it is much
smaller than it was before.  She must of gotten an infection after the
operation, probably including an inner ear infection which is why she always
seemed dizzie.  Now if only she would grow back the fur where her belly was
shaved.
 
Chris, as usual, could you keep me anonymous?  I wasn't really sure which
address to send this message to since it is half request and half item.
 
 
                                Thanks
                                                                          
[Posted in FML 0136]