To Tamara Smith:
 
>I "rescued" a ferret from a pet store today that appears to be partially
>paralyzed.  When he walks he drags his hind legs, paws facing upwards.
 
I think I would prefer the term paresis to paralysis, which means weakness.
Many ferrets exhibit hindlimb weakness as a non-specific response to
illness, much a s a sick cat will just lay around and not eat.  It can be
seen as a sign for anything from bad teeth to heart disease, and everything
in between.
 
I wish that I could be more specific, but it is as non-specific a sign as a
ferret can display.  It does however, mean that it's time to go to the vet.
 
BTW, many "paralyzed" ferrets will occasionally use their back legs, but
poorly, and tire quickly...
 
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP              Chief Pathologist, AccuPath
Dept. of Veterinary Pathology               [log in to unmask]
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1694]