Dayna...I do not know how to get this to all the list but I'm giving it a
shot.  I agree with you one hundred percent.  The only other time I have
seen something this fast and this debilitating was in a doberman pup we
purchased, a female 20 years ago.  We had her for a few days when she came
down with Parvo...itspread through her like wildfire, and although she
convulsed and had to be hospitalized at the vet, who told us she wouldn't
make it through the night, she survived.  She lived for 13 years and then
died of inoperable cancer.  She was the love of my life.  With Sheba, this
came on that fast.  Her spine was literally sharp from her loss ofweight and
if it had not been for an e-mail friend who said I should try antibiotics I
never would have insisted on them from the vet.  Here in Montana, the
average Ferret owner age is from 10 to 24 or so.  it makes it hard because
although our vets are wonderful, they probably only see these fuzzies for
shots and therefore lack the experience and knowledge of may Ferret
diseases.  before we even got a Ferret, I read as much as I could, preparing
myself and insuring that they would have the ultimate enviroment with our
family.  Nothing prepared me for this.  Her eyes were matted, which I rinsed
off with sterile warm water and he weight loss was so quick and so much that
I could see her pulse beating in her temple.  She was cold to the touch.
One of the first things I noticed in her recovery was the warmth that came
back into her body.  She lives with Nikki, her best ferret friend and Nikki
is fine and has been throughout this.  We do not let people handle our
ferrets, only family can do that and they are not eposed to other ferrets.
Parvo came into Montana through a dog show, this scares me that if this is
something un-identified and as lethal, it will will spread through shows.
To lose Sheba would have been catastrohpic because she came from a rescue,
dumped there because her family did not want her anymore.  We adopted her
and pledged to her that she had a home for life, security, all of it.  That
was a few short months ago, not enough time to keep our word to her.
Anyway, do I go ahead with a blod test or do I just thank the gods and hope
to God this never rears it head again.  The selectivity of this is
terrifying.  It's speed devastating and as of yet, undiagnosed.
Scareeeeeeee!
 
Sandra
[Posted in FML issue 2141]