On Wednesday evening, while my mother, sister and niece were playing with
the Fur Posse prior to celebrating my mother's 76th, Esme's hind end fell to
one side.  I watched and soon it did it again.  I picked Esme' up, put her
down, and it did it again.  I cuddled her and carried her over to show Eric.
This time she fell completely over two times, and her feet and legs felt
cold.  I gave her to Rebecca to cuddle while Eric and I quickly closed off a
section of the largest cage for an observation room.  However, before we had
finished, she was suddenly up and active.  She ran over to my mother and did
the cutest little joy dance at her feet, just begging Mom to play with her.
When I have checked on her and when she has been out to play since then, she
has seemed fine.
 
Today (Friday) I noticed out of the corner of my eye that she had fallen off
a low shelf in her cage.  Since she was with two rather rowdy friends, I
wasn't too worried until she walked up the ramp, tried to climb into a box,
and fell off the shelf again.  She just did a flat ferret on the bottom of
the cage for a minute, got up, and this time I saw her hind end fall over.
I cuddled her against my chest and just sat quietly while she lay there with
her eyes open.  Her feet and legs were cold, and she repeatedly licked her
nose and swallowed.  I wondered if she was drooling.  As I was expecting,
suddenly she seemed fine.  She passionately kissed my cheek and chin and
then squirmed to get down.  I put her by a water bottle, but she chose to go
up the ramp and chow down.
 
Is this probably insulinoma, even though her blood test was normal (see
below)?  Are there other possibilities my vet should check?  She eats well,
poops well, pees well, and gets an inch of Nutri-Stat once or twice a day.
Anything I should be doing with her diet?  (I mix a 5lb bag of TF with an
8lb bag of Iams Kitten.) She had a hard start in life.
 
Esme' was adopted from a loving couple who had rescued her from a pet store.
She had been dumped there -- malnourished, skinny and ratty-coated -- by
some rotten owner.  The couple had already done wonders for her with a diet
of TF and love, and her coat has continued to improve since she came to us,
though she continues to be thin and frail-looking.  Her hind end fell over
when we got her, and she would stand in her cage and stare at us before
coming out, shaking visibly from head to foot.  My vet agreed with the
couple's vet that she was about 4 yo.  We did a fasting blood glucose, but
the results were normal.  He tested her responses and thinks she had an
injured leg that never healed properly.  Until Wednesday, her hind end had
stopped giving way, though she limps a bit, and she no longer shakes at all
except the normal wake-up shivers.  She finally began to dance, and her
dances are pure joy dances, delightful to watch.  Recently she has started
inviting me to play chase with her.  I figured she had grown stronger with
continued good food and exercise.  I also believe that she was abused by her
original owners and that the shaking was fear.
 
I call her Tiny Dancer and my Little Bird.  She is so delicate, with a very
pretty, fox-like face.  I was telling Eric just a couple weeks ago why Esme'
is especially precious to me.  My heart tells me that she will not be with
us all that long.  Knowing her is like having a little angel ferret on loan
from the Rainbow Bridge.  I don't know why I feel this, but I do.  But this
does *not* mean I won't be taking her to the vet!  Ferret Heaven forbid!  I
want to do all that is best for my little one, and I would be very grateful
for anyone's experienced advice.
[Posted in FML issue 1858]