It feels like a miracle, but Sandee Mozzone's ferrets are definitely on the
mend.  She asked me to thank you all for your calls, for the info you sent
me, and for your prayers.  I'll repeat the story so that perhaps anyone this
happens to in the future can have hope and hang in there.  Bruce Williams
was consulted and was as helpful as he could be, but he has not heard of
this problem before.  At this time, it is something we'll have to share
information with each other about in hopes we can be of some help.
 
One of Sandee's ferrets became paralyzed over a period of several days,
beginning with being unable to use her hind legs.  When the ferret began to
have difficulty breathing and was unable to urinate any longer, our vet and
Sandee decided to put her down.  A second ferret had begun to have a similar
paralysis, and it progressed to where she could not use her legs.  Then
another ferret lost the use of its hind legs.  Then a fourth.  Then one
began to drag one of his hind legs.  Sandee (who runs the ferret shelter in
Upper Darby, PA, west of Philadelphia) called me in a panic when she came
home to find the third one in trouble.  She is not on the internet, and our
vet was stumped.  Sandee had visions of this paralysis spreading to all of
her 20+ ferrets and wiping out her dearest fur kids.  She hoped that someone
on the list would know something that could help her.
 
A special thanks to Noni in Houston!!  She had been through the same
experience with one ferret, and her vet knew of a shelter that had
experienced several cases of this paralysis.  No one knew what the problem
is, but Noni was able to give Sandee hope.  Her vet had encouraged her to
hang in there a little longer after her ferret became totally paralyzed (I
don't think it had the breathing/urination problem, but I'm not sure) ...
and her ferret recovered, albeit slowly.  It was Noni's story that kept
Sandee from putting her second ferret down days ago.
 
It was difficult to see the paralyzed ferret in her condition.  She
constantly wet and dirtied herself, and despite being washed gently several
times a day, she had developed a rash and seemed quite miserable.  Sandee
was beginning to feel cruel for keeping her alive.  All four living ferrets
are being treated with prednisone against spinal inflammation, and none of
them got worse after a certain point.  The last time I posted, the two with
hind end paralysis had begun to wobble around on their hind legs.  A day or
two ago, the other ferret began to weakly use his one leg.  But today was
the miracle.  When Sandee came home, she noticed a poop in the corner of the
paralyzed ferret's cage which had not been there at lunch time.  She washed
her as usual and placed her on the floor ... and she stood on her own legs!
Then she even tried to walk a bit!
 
So all the news is good.  The virus (or whatever it is) never spread to the
rest of the ferrets.  Only one was affected in the lungs and kidneys.  Each
of the four who came down with it were less affected than the previous
ferret.  All four are on the mend.  Thank you again for your prayers.  If
anyone needs to ask Sandee about her experience with this, her number is
610-352-4852.
[Posted in FML issue 1908]