Hello Fellow Ferret Owners:
 
 
   Some of you may recall a post my wife and I made a few days ago
concerning one of our 'kids', an albino named Puck.  He had had some
type of seizure, very painful, awakening my wife in the middle of the
night and sending her and weasel scrambling to the emergency vet.
Here's what we know $200 later:
 
   Not much.
 
   Puck tested normal for all viral infections, kidney and liver
problems, glucose levels, etc.  X-rays and abdominal examinations
revealed no tumors, growths, or lumps; the doc could find nothing abnormal
in his ears or eyes.  Basically, he appears to be healthy, and he
was back on his feet acting like his normal Puckish self by noon the
day after the attack.
 
   Several people in this group have suggested insuloma and/or insuloma
induced hypoglycemia, which we in turn passed on to our vet.  The vet
says he had originally considered that as a possibility, but there's
no evidence in his blood work to support it (Puck's glucose levels
were perfectly normal).  As a precaution, we've laid in a supply of
Karo syrup to rub on his gums should this happen again.
 
   At this point, we have very few possibilities left:  general stress
(doesn't seem likely unless he had one NASTY nightmare), stress-
induced hypoglycemia (possible, according to the vet, but not usually
this severe), or some type of neurological disorder (regrettably not
unheard of in ferrets).  We plan to watch him very closely and monitor
his eating habits.  We'll probably have another blood test done when Puck
goes in for his distemper and rabies shots next month.
 
   If anybody has any other ideas, please don't hesitate to pass them
on.  This one's got us stumped!
 
   Many thanks to EVERYBODY who provided us with opinions, phone numbers,
and support during this ordeal.  It helps a LOT to have friends when
facing problems like this!!
 
 
 
Steven and Colleen
Proudly Lorded Over by Missy, Newone, Zebulon Pike,
                        Minx, Slinky, Puck, and Ripple
[Posted in FML issue 1133]