I feel *better* after Sukie Crandall's post about emergency care.  Two days
ago, in the evening, I went to get Janice out of the cage for playtime --
she knows when playtime is, and if I don't take her out and play with her
and chase her for at least two hours, she'll snub me for days.  She was
glassy eyed and she made a strange noise..  like a cough but more like a
short wheeze.  I took her to the Animal Emergency clinic.  The vet gave me a
lecture on the distemper virus -- Janice hasn't had her booster yet, we were
to go on thursday.  Well, I was distraught.  I was nervous about the
distemper booster because of what happened to Prospero, but I decided to go
through with it anyway.  (I know I should have given Prospero an autopsy.
It didn't occur to me until days later.) The vet then said that she would
have had to be exposed to dogs.  This made me feel better, but not really,
and now it's eating at me.
 
But Janice did get a nice penicillin shot (nice for my conscience, not for
her bottom...) and twice a day she gets pink amoxicillin (she loves the
taste... I think that's the same stuff they gave me when I was little and
had earache...) I give her syringes of gatorade, apple juice or pedialyte
(whichever I can get her to take) and I've been trying to get her to eat.
It looks like she's been eating a little... she does drink plenty though.
And she looked better last night and this morning than she did at first.  Am
I doing the right thing?  How can I get her to eat?  Did I act fast enough?
I've been puting her on my lap since she's too pooped to play, and trying to
get her to drink lots and telling her I love her.  I want to give her the
best care, adn I'll stay home from work if I have to.  Should I?  Someone
give me advice, anything.  But from what I read in Sukie's post, I don't
think it's distemper, but my blood runs cold thinking about it.
 
Oh, and Puffo (baby) is doing great.  Janice's cage is separate from his,
but I was worried abotu him.  I woke him up and he stuck his head up and he
was bright eyed and sassy.  He grinned at me.  We've been playing together,
btu I think he misses Janice a little bit.
 
Please help out so I can be a better ferret mommy and not one of those
people they write pamphlets about...
 
Christine
        The ailing Janice
        The insolent Puffo.
******************************************************
Christine Belsom, Help Desk Coordinator
[log in to unmask]
Bailey Link
225 Baronne, St.
 
(504) 527-5282
[Posted in FML issue 2096]