To Cynthia, Regarding ageing ferrets:
 
We had a ferret who died at about age 8.  When he was about 6 1/2, he
started having trouble on linoleum floors.  When he was 7, he avoided
the kitchen and bathroom altogether, because his back feet would slip
out to the sides.  Once, he actually got "stuck" in the middle of the
kitchen, and looked imploringly at me to rescue him.  Our vet decided
that since he was otherwise fine, and his quality of life was high, the
appropriate treatment was to prescribe steroids to give him some muscle
strength.  Liver damage wasn't seen to be a problem, since he was at the
end of his lifespan, anyway.  I forget the exact steroid, but we gave
him 1/4 of a pill, crushed up in milk or honey, or embedded in a raisin.
The results were remarkable.  Only ten days after we started him on the
steroids, he was motoring through the kitchen and bathroom, making up
for lost time.  It definitely improved his enjoyment of his final
months.
 
[Posted in FML issue 0416]