This is a BIG thank you to everyone who sent messages of caring to Nicky during his recent illness. Here is how it went. Sunday as I was putting the ferrets back in their respective cages I noticed Nicky moving a bit slower than normal. (Now he is big and not to fast anyway, but there was something strange about his motions.) The next morning he seemed okay. By evening I could see he was not using one hind leg. I put in a call to each of my ferret vets. Got him in the next morning. By that time he is paralyzed in the hindquarters. I am panicked but trying to remain calm. First vet. calls and says bloodscreen shows an infection. Nothing else! She starts him on Amoxyicillin and sends him home. Second vet hospital calls and wants to see him. So I take him there. They think he has a brain tumor and suggest euthanizing him. I refuse and go back to first vet. This is now the third day. We take him out of the carrier to draw more blood. Nicky looks around and promptly gets up and WALKS on all four legs back into the carrier. Now this vet. and I do a lot of yelling, dancing around and high fiving! Nicky thinks we are crazy. Well, we get the blood and I take one tired ferret home. That night he walks to the front of his condo for his medicine. Again he notices a crazy, screaming woman in front of him. I never saw anything so beautiful as when he reached up with a hind foot and scratched his head. He is slowly recovering and last night stood on his hind legs against the condo door. Nicky has done his own message for everyone on our web site http://moonsongferrets.virtualave.net about half way down the page. Thanks to everyone for their support and well wishes. Judith [Posted in FML issue 2817]