Re: Emily's ferret who has the neurological problems after the vaccination.
I'm wondering if a nerve was nicked.  Haven't seen this in a ferret, nor
have I read of it that I can remember so it's a freak thing, but had it
myself from a shot for dental work 30 years ago when a nerve wasn't located
quite where it should have been and sort of "lost" one side of my tongue
for about two months.  How fast a nerve can regenerate depends on things
like location, extent of damage, age of the individual (with young being
best), etc.
 
Re: Deb's hind end weakness question: it's a general symptom which can
happen for a wide range of reasons and when seen means you need to have a
vet appointment and have tests done to find the cause in this particular
individual.  Her second question was about Prednisone.  We saw bad effects
when it was used LONG TERM which is one reason why we prefer surgeries when
possible, encourage (in words and cash) testing of alternative meds, remind
people about Proglycem when it seems like an option, etc.  That said, note
that I said "LONG" term.  The animals with the problems were two from when
options were even more limited than they are now for lympho.  One was on
pred for 8 months and one for 14 months.  We have NEVER encountered any
problems with short term use in our ferrets.  On the other hand, it has
been EXACTLY what was needed to really help our ferrets a number of times
with shorter things -- like ECE induced colitis, one with insulinoma who
couldn't have surgery right away, one with a lesion, etc.  You call it a
"dangerous drug", but anything is dangerous if used incorrectly.  Meds of
any type (traditional, herbal, whatever) have to be approached with respect
and logic.  Used right they help but used wrong they damage and may even
kill, depending on the drug, or on what is not being done while symptoms
are masked.  To generalize in either direction is dangerous; so be careful
about statements which give the general feeling that anything is all good
for every individual, or all bad for every individual.  Yes, pred can be
dangerous but it can also be just what is needed to make a ferret happy
again.
[Posted in FML issue 2826]