Thank you to the many people who have written me on Spot's predicament.
Everyone's words of encouragement has really helped me keep a stiff upper
lip.  I've gotten so many e-mails I don't know if I will be able to respond
to them all.  Unfortunately I don't have any good news to report.  Spot
and I just returned from the vet, and is groggy and disoriented from the
anesthesia.  He knocked her out and shaved her neck, but says he was unable
to draw any blood for examination.  He feels she is either too anemic or
dehydrated to get any blood from her.  Due to the lack of other symptoms of
adrenal disease (absolutely no hair loss, very full coat) and the presence
of other anemia symptoms, (pronounced lack of appetite and lethargy) he has
decided to proceed on the assumption that it is aplastic anemia caused by
heat.
 
He has her continuing on the meds she is already on, Prenisone, Sulfatrim
(an antibiotic I think) and Winstrol, and has given me Ovaban (progesterone)
in pill form to try to bring her out of heat.  They are giant horse pills
that I have to somehow split into eighths to administer them to her.  He
doesn't seem to recommend surgery at all, even if we were able to get her
weight up and rehydrate her, which I am surprised by.  I am willing to give
the meds a try first, I would like to avoid surgery if I can, but if there
is leftover ovarian tissue, won't it need to be removed at some point?  I am
very discouraged and sad.  He did not seem to be giving my little baby much
of a chance.  Should I try to get a second opinion?  I am only a little over
an hour from the Animal Medical Center in NYC and I have heard great things
about them.  I also used to live in Ithaca, NY and the Cornell Vet school
there is outstanding.  It is a four hour drive, but again I would be willing
if it would help her.  Sorry for the long post, but the FML is my only link
to ther ferret owners and I really need some advice and encouragement.  Spot
is only a little over a year old, and I am not ready to give up on her.  If
only she would eat and get her strength up.  She actually started to eat
some of her dry food yesterday for the first time in about a weeek, but then
I had to take her food away because of the anesthesia she was getting this
morning.  I hope she still has an appetite when she is fully revived.  This
last week she wouldn't even eat Duck Soup or pedialyte except for a few
meager licks off the spoon.  She took a little ferretone and chewed up a
raisin, but didn't eat much of it.  Again, sorry for the rambling, but I
guess I just needed to vent.  Any and all suggestions will be gratefully
received.
 
Gail
 
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|   "All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that wander are
lost."
|   --J. R. R. Tolkien
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2253]