This was posted on the adoption board of the Petsmart in Lincoln, NE,
where I work:
 
3 ferrets need home ASAP - 2 NM, 1 SF
contact Jamie at [log in to unmask]
 
(along with names and colors, but not ages or a "price")
 
You can also e-mail me for her phone number.
 
*****
 
I posted last weekend about Kerby, a very smelly new member of the
household.  For any interested, he had a vet visit this past Thursday,
and is scheduled for Adrenal surgery next Friday.
 
To that vet visit, I also brought 4 ferrets needing Distemper
vaccinations.  One, Mendel, received a different lot of the vaccine than
the others, and he had a VERY severe reaction.  At it's worse, he was
simultaneously vomiting, convulsing, and expelling increasingly bloody
diarrhea.  He was treated with epinephrine and Prednisone, and given
fluids, after which he was pretty out of it.
 
It's been more than 48 hours now, and he's not recovered.  He is
extremely drowsy, and has slept all but about 5 minutes of the past two
days.  He acts as if partially paralyzed of his hind end, and drags
himself by his front legs.  He won't eat or drink unless I put something
in his mouth.  He's gotten a little dehydrated, so I'm giving him water
by syringe every few hours.
 
I called the vet (who is ferret-knowledgeable) on Friday.  She said she
expected him to have trouble for a few days, and to "baby" him and call
on Monday if he wasn't better.
 
Has anyone experienced anything like this?  The inability to use his hind
legs is most concerning to me because I don't know what would cause it--
the meds?  swelling of the brain?  I don't know if I should force him to
eat or not.  (he was 2.2 lbs prior to vaccination, and has a little fat
to get him by)
 
We're coming up on what I call "vaccination season," where I'll have a
good 20 vaccinations within 2 months.  Naturally--I'm thinking of calling
the whole thing off!  There's nothing worse than taking a perfectly
healthy animal to the vet and making him sick.  Would it be advisable to
pre-treat all of them with Benedryl (and can someone please re-send me
instructions on how to do that)?
 
Sorry that my posts are always so long.  Thanks very much for all the
responses about Kerby.
 
Sincerely,
 
Kara
 
p.s. Looking to buy non-hanging sleep sacks...will search eBay, but if
any shelters or folks sell them to benefit fuzzies, I'd welcome a link.
[Posted in FML issue 3864]