Chris -- If you could post this asap, we'd be apprecitative...
 
Our youngest ferret Helix (11 months old) started having problems walking
two weeks back. A trip to the vet and several xrays showed an area of
concern on her lower spine. At the time it was felt that there were
several possibilities - (1) a very bad inflamation, (2) some sort of
tumor -- hopefully benign, or (3) a cancer. She was given cortisone
and quickly returned to normal for about 10 days [normal literally means
climbing the walls - this is the most athletic ferret we've had].
 
Yesterday she started loosing her back legs again. The situation has
rapidly progressed to the point where she is nearly paralyzed in her
hind quarters. She doesn't have control over urination or her bowels,
although she is quite alert (considering) and doesn't seem to be in
great amounts of pain.
 
Our local vet has been trying to find someone who might be able to operate.
The problem is that everyone he's tried in the NJ area (extending to PA and
NYC) who is a neurosurgon will not operate on a ferret and none of the
exotic vets will do any neurosugery. If anyone has any comments or
pointers, we'd be in your debt.
 
                Steve & Sukie Crandall
                att!mhuxt!evans
 
                201-580-0506 anytime
 
[This sounds very similar to what happened to our ferret Nicia.  She
went through a number of bouts of severe infections over a couple of
months, culminating with an almost total seizure - after the first 20
minutes or so, it turned into hind-quarter paralysis.  It turned out
in the end to be a large foreign body (what looked like about a dozen
of the double pointed toothpicks - had to be acquired before we got her)
that was transparent to X-ray and only slightly palpable lodged in her
abdomen - found because our vet was stumped and decided to do an
exploratory (and spay - was one of the suspicions).  After the surgery
she didn't recover very fast, so the vet resorted to some high doses of
anti-inflamatory drugs (maybe cortisone) and Nicia finally came out of
the paralysis.
 
Our vet is pretty much an expert on ferrets (he's doing some original
research) and may be able to help.  I've sent you his name and number
via e-mail.  If you don't get it asap, please contact me by phone:
(416)-595-5425 (office) or (416)-294-9253 (home)and leave a message.
 
Good luck!]
                                                                          
[Posted in FML 0036]