My 6 year old male Sammy is sick. The vet is puzzled (he admits he has little experience with ferrets, and I live in a rural area). Last week he became very ill. We weren't sure he was going to make it. He was having labored breathing, and could hardly walk. We took him to the vet, and he didn't really know what was wrong. He checked for fluid build up, blood sugar, temp, his teeth and gums, etc. and couldn't find anything wrong. He didn't really give us much hope. Since then he has improved...slightly. He is no longer having trouble breathing, but other problems have appeeared. He wasn't pooping...so the vet suspected a blockage...but none was found. He is not eating very much, though he is drinking a lot of water. He doesn't want to play at all, he wants to sleep constantly, and would probably not eat at all if I didn't wake him up to feed him bananna, cheerios, or if I force him, ferret food. The amount he is eating is not much at all. He is having normal looking bowel movements, and is urinating normally. His abdomen seems to be pulsating??? like he is breathing heavily or like when he goes to the bathroom, but we can't hear any strain to breathe, and he isn't having trouble going. When he walks (on the rare occasions he is awake) he sometimes just falls over. He isn't straining to walk, his back end will just slip out from underneath him. Any opinions, help, advice would be greatly appreciated. The vet is stumped. I have been lurking on the group for 3+ years, and have posted only about 5 times, but all of the information I read is very valuable. Thank you all! Please email me responses, as well as posting them. I am about 15 issues behind...and wouldn't want to miss any responses. Thanks, Thomas Daugherty [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 2597]