I have a question.  About 2 weeks ago a normally healthy ferret got out
of his cage with hind end weakness.  We got him to the vet the next day
thinking this was insulinoma.  His BS was 102 and the vet started him on
pediapred 1.2ml 2x a day along with carafate.  Within 6 days he was not
any better but still able to use the litter box.  On the 6th day the doc
prescribed him Cipro in case there was any infection she would have
missed which we had compounded at our local pharmacy that does vet meds
and by the time I got home he was pulling himself around the floor in
noticeable pain in his bladder area so we were thinking a bladder
infection and were glad to have him on Cipro.  By the next day he had
wet himself and it smelled really bad so we were like ok it must have
been a bladder infection because it has not smelled since.  Prior to this
he was using the litter box and was not straining.  Now his hind end is
very weak to the point that he cannot even get to the litter box in time
so we just keep changing his bedding and washing him off.  He gets a full
bottom bath in the AM and wiped down at night since the AM he is pretty
messey.  He will pull himself away from any soiled bedding.  He can also
get to the food and water and is eating fine.  He can kick his legs like
a mad man and will try to push with them but canno stand up on them.  He
is not even able now to get up over the rim of the cage or go up a ramp
which he could do for the first 5 days after he got weak.  He has not
gotten any worse but he is not getting any better either.  We are taking
him again this Friday to have a recheck and probably now more blood work.
I know there are a million things that can cause hind end weakness but
this has us baffled.  Do we resign ourselves to the fact that this is how
he will be for the rest of his life?  He is only 5 and up until now never
sick and a very strong 3-3.5 lb muscular active ferret.  He was tested
for ADV and that was neg.
 
If anyone has any experience with a ferret with a sickness that caused
hind end weakness or bladder infections I would love to hear how you
made out.
 
Thanks so much
Debbie
[Posted in FML issue 5293]