I've been amazed at the stories of ferrets that have fallen from considerable
heights without apparent ill effects.  We must have been unlucky.  We had one
that wriggled our of our arms and fell to the kitchen floor.  After not moving
for a couple minutes, he began to drag himself forward with just his front
legs; the rear was limp.  He seemed in considerable discomfort.  In a few
hours he died.  The vet we took him to saw some reddish wax in his ears and
thought it was blood.  She surmised it was a bad concussion.  We saw him hit
and it was the rear end first, with no head strike.  We think it was a spinal
injury.  Add neurological signs to things to look for in falls and be very
careful in moving them so any spinal injury isn't aggravated by the rescue
handling.  We didn't heed this when we picked him up to comfort him.  In
looking back, we think that may be where the fatal damage occurred.
( )--(o)                                           ( )--(a)
(@=@=) \                                           (@ @ ) \
O__) /\ \__ (Monica, U go girl! BEWs R 2 COOL!)--> O__) /\ \__
   \   \                                            U \   \
   /\ * )  \ Till next time..Rudy the ferlosopher  " "/\ * )  \
[Posted in FML issue 1192]