Help!  I'm hoping one of you wise ferret folk or veterinarians out there can
shed some light on my ferret trauma.
 
When we had our old ferret in to the vet for another problem, the vet
discovered ear mites, which she treated.  She then told us to bring in all
of the rest of the kids for treatment, as they probably all had ear mites as
well.  All five had their ears flushed - four are fine.
 
During the ride home, I thought Ruby was acting a little odd.  She twisted
over on her back in the cage, and also sat at an odd angle with her mouth
hanging open.  When I got home and let her out of the carrier, she just kind
of flopped out on the floor and lay there.  Finally she got up and walked
around the corner and lost control of her hind end.  I watched her for some
time.  She ate and drank, and seemed okay after awhile.  I concluded that
she was just tired and traumatized from her visit to the vet, although I
still felt uneasy about it.  Incidently, we adopted Ruby from a shelter
three years ago, and estimate her age around 5 or 6.  She has definitely
slowed down in the past year or so.
 
I kept an eye on Ruby for the next 24 hours, during which time she just
slept.  By Thursday, she was completely lethargic and limp.  Wouldn't move,
wouldn't even raise her head.  I called our vet (the one who had done the
ear cleaning), but she was off that day, and only the horse vet was
available.  So I called another small animal vet in town that I know (but
has never seen our ferrets), and rushed her in.  Dr. Hooley was a bit
baffled, but could only conclude that Ruby had a reaction to the ear
cleaning - either to the cleaner itself, or some sort of shock reaction.
She indicated it was possible that the ear drum was not completely intact,
and that some fluid had gotten inside her inner ear, thus explaining some of
the neurologic symptoms I had observed.  She treated Ruby with a steroid and
Vitamin-B injection, and Ruby spent the night there.
 
By yesterday morning, she was better.  A little more active, and ate and
drank a bit.  Dr. Hooley conferred with my original vet, and they concurred
on the diagnosis.  Dr. Hooley sent Ruby home with liquid vitamins.  Well, it
is now Saturday morning, and she is very lethargic again, and completely
disinterested in food.  I'll be taking her back into the vet today, but I
feel as if they really don't know what to do for her.  I live in a small,
rural town, and these vets are not terribly experienced with ferrets, but
they're all I've got.
 
Has anyone else had a ferret react like this to ear cleaning?  What can I do
for her?  Could my vet have ruptured her ear drum during the cleaning
process?  Should I trust her, or stick with Dr. Hooley?  I feel as if Ruby
is just slipping away from me, and I'm completely helpless.  Before going in
for ear cleaning, she was fine.  Help!
 
Chris & Rick
[Posted in FML issue 1617]