Over the years we have had experience with strokes in two. In each case
there was underlying disease, cardiomyopathy in one and renal disease in
the other. It is essential to find out WHY the strokes are happening and
respond accordingly.
There certainly ARE herbs and meds to completely avoid, ditto some treats
if you provide access to things like cola drinks or chocolate, since this
is a compromised animal. You do not want to give anything that increases
blood pressure, for instance, or anything that causes or worsen heart
rhythm problems. Licorice is a huge no-no, as is an assortment of certain
other herbs. (Check in the _PDR of Herbs_ first or at least in a Tyler
Varro (sp?) text. That's essential, or more strokes could result from
giving those.
Except for Meltdown's last stroke we have had fine luck having ferrets heal
after them. With her last one that was actually the day after she'd
thrown a clot to a kidney and her vet had wanted to give her a day to see
if it broke up safely. It didn't, and her dilative cardiomyopathy with
ventricular bigemini was well advanced by that point plus she'd been
treated for it progressively more aggressively over more than a year.
She'd had at least one small stroke before and other thrown clots and with
massage, some at-home PT and careful medical care had gotten through them
without any damage.
Spot had one huge stroke form his kidney disease. He almost didn't make it
for about 36 hours or so and spent time where he could be watched carefully
around the clock by vets (i.e. we shuttled between two cooperating
hospitals). Then it took him time to relearn one rear leg with care . He
never gained back complete mobility in it, but he got most of it; his
sensory loss extended further up the leg but that didn't seem to bother him
at all. Sadly, his kidney disease was not found till it was advanced.
He's the only one we've ever had with kidney disease, and we still know
too little about it so are always happy when people teach us more through
the FML.
Find the underlying cause and DO check into anything that might be given
beforehand.
Nope, they don't get the chicken pox virus; we asked Bruce Williams when
Steve had his case of shingles.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM FERRET SET-UP? These will differ, of course,
depending on person and the situations folks have (location, personal
abilities, personal disabilities, etc.). Our's is as far in the future as
having our own library room for our thousands of books -- likely when we
retire and move but not before then so a long while off. We'd like to have
a "room" within our relaxation room for the ferrets which has walls that
come up maybe to our waists, and windows set around in those walls, plus
some walkways that emerge from it with plexiglass sides, disguised as
seating (with cushions on top and hatches on top that we can open), an idea
that someone here actually used after we mentioned it before so Steve and I
want to know how it worked. Inside the waist-high walls would be storage
areas filled with ferret stuff. The room would have a drain in the floor,
which would have a rough tile or something else easy to clean but also easy
to walk on even when old, tons of toys, piles of bedding, pots (of course),
their cage (always open then) so that they could hide in it, and would have
tub and hose. There would be windows and a hatchway to a large outdoor
cage with a roof on it so that they could be outside sometimes as they and
we chose. Oh, and we'd really have to have some secret passageways and
cozy nooks for them and some for us, too! WHAT WOULD YOUR'S HAVE? Let's
dream together.
[Posted in FML issue 3213]
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