Hello FML!  My ferret has been sick and we've stumped two vets so far.
I was hoping someone on the list would be familiar with these symptoms.
 
My ferret Unagi Inu is male, neutered and descented, almost six years old.
He is up to date on rabies and distemper vaccinations and takes heartworm
medicine monthly.  I've had him since he was a baby and he's always been
very healthy-- I've never seen him do this before.
 
About two weeks ago, I came home to find him lethargic in his cage, panting
and seeming very uncomfortable.  I let him out and he just lay on the
floor, panting.  It was hot, but it seemed to me like he was more than just
hot.  Then he started coughing and he spit up some clear fluid (drool?) I
got worried and took him right to the vet.  The vet couldn't find anything
wrong-- temperature, blood work, heartworm test all came back normal.  He
gave him subcutaneous fluids, cortisone, and some kind of vitamin shot.
While we were at the vet my ferret gradually seemed to get better and after
about half an hour he seemed mostly normal again.  I got him home, he gave
himself a good grooming (the rectal thermometer, oh the indignity), slept
for a while, and then seemed fine when he woke up.
 
All was well for two weeks, until last night when I went to pick him up
during playtime and found him lying very still in a puddle of drool.  When
I touched him he moved a little, and then drooled a bunch more.  I picked
him up and noticed that his footpads were bright red instead of the usual
pale pink.  Again, I got worried and took him to the vet right away, and
again, the vet couldn't figure it out.  (This was another vet, because it
was late at night.) She gave him subcutaneous fluids and Benadryl and when
I got him home he was completely zonked out, but not drooling or otherwise
seeming uncomfortable.  He slept for a long time and has seemed fine all
day today.
 
I have made an appointment with yet another vet who specializes in ferrets,
but I was wondering if anyone out there has seen something like this-- the
drooling, the lethargy, the bright red footpads.  Eating, drinking, going
to the bathroom are all normal.  Both vets asked if he had maybe gotten
into something poisonous-- I didn't think so (the apartment is small and
pretty well ferret-proofed) but I spent a few hours tonight crawling around
and then doing a *very* thorough cleaning and vacuuming, and I didn't find
anything out of the ordinary.  I also didn't see anything quite like this
on the ferret health care FAQ.
 
Any clues you can give me will be greatly appreciated by Unagi Inu and I.
 
Thank you!
Lori Crawford
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p.s. Pam Greene, if you're reading this, hello from your cousin!
[Posted in FML issue 3414]