I haven't been able to write in a while, due to a job change and a few other
things going on, but I just wanted to send in an update on Thor (the
one-eyed ferret).  This might be a little long.
 
(As a quick update for anyone new, Thor developed something called an
'anteriorly luxated lens', and had to have his right eye removed.)
 
Thor went back for his post-op check on November 12th.  Everything looked
good - the surgery site was healing well, and he seemed to be getting along
just fine.
 
That night, when I came home from work, I found that his left eye was VERY
watery.  My heart sank...could it be happening in his remaining "good" eye
now too?  The next morning, it had that tell-tale bluish tinge and he was
squinting, closing the eye again.  The exact same symptoms as the last time.
I called the vets office (at Tufts) who tried to put me off, telling me that
I should wait and see, or have my own vet look at him first.  Well, I pushed
back and got him in that day, and sure enough, they called me back to tell
me he had luxated the lens anteriorly in that eye as well.  :^( Again, they
talked about the two possibilities - lens removal (VERY expensive and risky)
or enucleation (taking out the remaining eye).  I told them I needed some
time to decide.  They put him on Timoptic drops to reduce the pressure in
the eye until I decided.
 
Well, now I *really* wanted a second opinion, so I called the other vet
opthamologist around here and told them my story.  This time, they were a
little more responsive.  They put him on more drops (Trusopt, in addition to
the Timoptic) until they could get him in to see him.  Thor seemed to
respond well to the drops- the eye almost looked normal, and he was acting
his normal self (as opposed to the lethargy we saw last time).
 
Well, we went today, and got a bit of good news.  It seems the lens moved
into the back part of the eye, and there was NO glaucoma.  He does have a
cataract, and a corneal abrasion (?), which are not unexpected.  BUT - it
doesn't look like we have to take out the eye at this time.  He'll be
treated with some eye drops (AKpred and something that's used to keep the
pupil small - I don't have it in front of me and can't remember the name,
but it's something that stings, so he may not tolerate it), and looked at
again in a month.
 
I'm sending all this info in, in the case that it might be useful to someone
else.  There seems to be so little data on eye disease in ferrets.  WIth
this happening to both his eyes, we are lead to believe that it is a
congenital problem.
 
It could be that Thor is on eye drops the rest of his life.  Or, the lens
could slip forward again, and require surgery.  But for now, he'll get to
keep one eye (which I think he does have some sight in!).
 
I am so proud of Thor - he did SO well today.  They didn't sedate him (which
they did both times at Tufts), but let me scruff him.  Actually, he's done
well throughout all of this.  I couldn't ask for a better guy!  So now I
hope that things stay this way, and he has some sight and isn't in any pain.
 
Amy
[Posted in FML issue 1761]