Peppy is a 9-month old heavy silver mitt, with white toes and bib, turned
into the shelter when his owners moved into a new apartment where pets were
not allowed.  They had 2 other ferrets for whom they were able to find good
homes.  But noone wanted Peppy--he is "special".
 
Peppy had been stepped on, they said, and also has liver problems and is on
a special low protein diet.  He has problems with his hindquarters, and
sometimes soils himself.  Bring him over, I said.  We will take care of him,
and keep him forever if needed.
 
I had no idea what to expect with this ferret, so I was surprised to see a
small but solidly built young man with good muscle tone, even in his
hindquarters.  He dooked and ran about the room, even war dancing.  The only
problem was every few steps he would fall over, staggering like a drunk.
But he would get right back up and explore and play some more.  His former
owners stayed for quite a while, and were reluctant to leave, especially
the boyfriend, who had stepped on Peppy.
 
I took Peppy to our vet, Dr. Wayne Turner, the next day.  He quickly found
an explanation for the balance problem.  The back of his skull was crushed,
in an area that would affect the cerebellum, center of balance and motor
control.  Dr Turner was amazed he had even survived the injuries.  We were
still perplexed about the liver problem, so Dr Turner called the vet who had
treated him earlier to find out just what was done and why.  The other vet
would not send Peppy's records because the bill (several hundred dollars)
had not been completely paid, but did discuss the case briefly.  He said the
balance problems predated getting stepped on, which was just a minor injury
to the hip.  Blood tests showed high liver enzymes.  Suspecting a liver
shunt, they did exploratory surgury and a biopsy on the liver.  I guess the
results were inconclusive, but they put him on a low protein diet.  (Dr.
Turner explained to me that liver disfunction can result in coordination and
balance problems, and that high levels of protein in the diet can exacerbate
them.)  The other vet seemed unaware of the misshappen skull.
 
I can't get a hold of the former owners--their old phone number is now
disconnected--so we are unsure of just what happened when. We are going to
repeat the blood tests on Monday and see if we can put him on a regular
diet.
 
Meanwhile, Peppy loves to play with other ferrets.  He gets around quite
well, though when very excited, he waves his paws around a bit before he can
right himself after falling.  He can climb cages and furniture with ease.
He loves playing in the dryer hose--it prevents him from falling over and he
can go forwards and backwards as well as any other ferret.  He gives kisses
and cuddles.  He is as cute, sweet and loving a ferret as one can hope to
ever see.
 
Linda Iroff
North Coast Ferret Shelter West
"The Raisin Retreat"
http://www.oberlin.edu/~liroff/ncfs.html
[Posted in FML issue 2358]