Thanks for the responses about Linus.  It's tough to know what to do,
especially when you've had a ferret for 6 1/2 years and you remember
when he used to literally bounce off the walls.  He came to me with a
"warning" on his "papers" that he didn't like to be caged.  Turns out he
had no problem being caged, he just wanted out of the cage a couple times
a day.  Run off some steam, then go back to sleep.
 
Anyway, he went to the vet yesterday and we found out his blood sugar is
within a respectable level, that can't be making him so tired.  His liver
is normal, now, but he is anemic -- decently anemic but at a level that
he should be able to live comfortably with it.  So his blood tests did
not give a clear reason as to his lethargy and lack of apetite lately.
The vet is sending out some blood to find out if the anemia is
nonregenative or is caused by internal bleeding.
 
So, he's stable, just depressed.  He got a vitamin B-12 shot, and the vet
is trying him on pred., now that his liver is testing normal it's a good
med to try, temporarily.  He did eat some of his wet food last night,
and some this morning.  Not enough, but some.  And he walked around.  He
still has obvious hind-end weakness, his overall muscle tone is poor.
Maybe it just hurts too much to move?
 
I know older ferrets sleep more and don't do as much, and I guess I
expected him to do that, which I guess is why his gradual descent wasn't
so obvious.  Up until 2 weeks ago, he was eating and drinking on his own.
But sleeping a lot.  It seems like a vicious cycle, they are older so
they sleep more, but the more they sleep, the less they play, they lose
muscle tone, have trouble moving around, sleep more now because of low
muscle tone....
 
He's at home now, sleeping, stuffed into his sleepy-sack.  I got up in
the middle of the night to feed him and Ralphie was at it again, sleeping
with him.  Linus was very toasty, stuffed completely in his sleepy-sack.
I felt bad having to move them.
 
Minta & linus
[Posted in FML issue 4115]