Here's a question for y'all,
 
Has anyone else out there noticed paw-licking and face-washing as a symptom
that the little guy/gal is not feeling too good?  I have seen this in both
my ferrets, and only when they were clearly ill.
 
I lost me dear little Emma last fall to lord knows what, after she had been
increasingly ill for about a week.  In the beginning stages of her illness,
she just started acting sweeter and more affectionate.  She also got more
lethargic, but I guess we were so thrilled with the affection we went into
denial about the lethargy.  She also began licking her front paws and
rubbing them down across her face, like a cat, over and over.  Then she'd
yawn, give a kiss, and curl up in our arms.  We thought it was just cute as
hell.  Well, it soon became apparent that she was seriously ill.  She soon
could barely get some Duck Soup down and drag herself back to bed.  We were
desperate.  This is Istanbul, you see, and the vets at the finest vet clinic
in the city had never seen a ferret before.  I had to print out the ferret
FAQ for them and highlight the potentially-helpful parts.  She had a seizure
and died after exploratory surgery, during which the vets found what they
thought was a tumor somewhere around her digestive tract.  We will never
know what the problem was for sure, though insulinoma seems like a
possibility.
 
Last week our other ferret, RikkiTikki, got sick.  Boy, did we panic when he
began to be sleepy-sweet and more cuddly than ever, and then <DREAD!>
washing his paws and face!  My friend swore it was an ulcer caused by the
stress of moving him from his housesitting "family" with 3 other ferrets.
We put him on Pepto Bizmol, and he is now fine (though I think he actually
had a bad flu, and gave it to me!).  Fortunately we did not have to risk the
vets again!
 
Anyway, should we generally worry if they do the face-washing routine, or do
some healthy ferrets do this?  Vets, what have you observed?
 
--Sue Kocher
[Posted in FML issue 1488]