Pam Vanoverloops wrote that her ferret Blondie was suffering from profound
lethargy, hind quarter weakness, and elevated temp.  She mentioned that
Blondie was eating and eliminating normally and wanted to know if anyone
else had encountered this problem.
 
We have had a ferret with what sounds like the exact same symptoms.  This
has been going on for about one month now.  We have tried antibiotics,
steroids, and homeopathic meds without much improvement.  The Vet says that
he has been seeing more of these cases recently and calls it "Ferret Wasting
Disease" for lack of a better name.
 
As ferrets are recently legal in Mass. he was unsure if this was a new
entity or something that he is seeing more of now that he is seeing more
ferrets in general.  He does have extensive ferret experience (saw them
quietly for years before they were legal) so I suspect this may be a new
thing.
 
I emailed Dr. Bruce Williams with the specifics about two weeks ago but have
not heard back from him as yet (could be away at a conference).  I'd like to
suggest that people and Vet's on line keep an eye out for this malady as it
could indeed be something new.  Any success stories would be greatly
appreciated.
 
Thanks
Peace
Karen
[Posted in FML issue 2029]