How do you tell if a ferret is deaf?  Show it a foreign movie; if it
doesn't complain about the subtitles it's deaf.  (That's Steve's input.)
Actually, the true answer is one word: observe.  You know that the
possibility is there for full or partial deafness (though the expression
for Waardensberg is variable so the ferret may not be deaf if lucky).
Notice what seems to be be heard and what doesn't, then find the pattern.
Approach more slowly and carefully, utilize consistency, try hand
signals, etc.
 
Joe wrote:
>Is depression in a ferret possible?  Any ideas on how to deal with this?
>Since you can't add another ferret right now you need to provide extra
>attention, and to be grateful that the little furry isn't so depressed
>that eating has stopped.  Sometimes that happens.
 
About the ferret with the birth defect affecting ligaments: be sure to
let the breeder know.  We have had ferrets with arthritis and have one who
may be starting into it.  Giving cooked chicken cartilage mixed in with
pureed food seemed to help, as has massage, and when they got really bad
range-of-motion exercises done in warm water helped.  Except when really
bad or when having a sudden on-set they seem to adjust and put the aches
and pains out of mind, just as humans do, so it may not turn out to be as
bad as you worry that it could be.  Remember the epiphany that our acquired
niece had in boot camp.  This is someone who always was a real coward and
complainer about pain, then one day in boot camp when she felt like crying
from yet another group order to do something painful it suddenly hit her,
"It's only pain."  After that she had no problem, but did have a lot of
pride.  That doesn't work when the pain is severe or sudden, of course, but
as we age every one of us puts aside some pain that we have to live with
all the time, and some people have to learn that skill from birth.  It may
be that your ferret will be in the same position.
 
One other lesson, Cap: when there is a crushing injury to the thorax or
abdomen, to the neck or head, and sometimes to the joints -- get the ferret
to the vet ASAP.  At the very bare-minimum-least call the vet and ask what
to do.  Sometimes it will not be necessary to go in, but even then measures
may need to be taken.  Meeteetse got behind me without my knowing in Sept.
and tripped me.  She wound up with her neck stepped on -- potentially very
dangerous -- but was lucky enough to get off with only a lesion needing
steroids for a while.  The area healed in such a way that it is easily
injured again so she has to be Tortilla-ed into a towel or given Iso now
for things which can be done in other ferrets with simple scuffing because
she can no longer be scruffed.  It is possible with a crushing incident
that there are internal injuries that might have bad results later even
if they don't show up at first.
 
Sukie
We talked Steve's dad into no longer refusing to go to the cardiac
information classes that the physician wants him to attend.  He'll go to
his first on Monday, a month after his triple by-pass, so perhaps his
denial phase is over, partly thanks to FML people who sent stories about
relatives who lived happily for decades after by-passes because they also
exercised and learned to eat right.  You folks are gems!!!!  Sure hope the
denial phase is over; he had been sneaking M&Ms. They still haven't used
the dietician lessons we arranged but we aren't hearing any complaints
about same now so hope that happens soon.  Dad's next appointment with the
vascular surgeon about his carotids and strokes is in less than a week now.
Thank from us to those here who let us know about their similar situations.
It helps to not feel alone as Steve and I sometimes had early on with these
problems.  (Folks asked to be updated; there are a lot of FML people in the
same boat it turns out.)
[Posted in FML issue 2858]