From:
Erin Simkins
Date: 2001-04-10 16:23:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Undiagnosed Hind leg weakness
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Karen Purcell, DVM" <drkaren@w...>
wrote:
>
> You wrote:
>
> > I bought a kit from a large pet store. It seemed very sweet
but
> > it looked kind of small, the employee could not give me an exact
age.
> > When I took the ferret home I noted hind leg weakness. It would
> > attempt to walk but fall to one side and wobbled. Thru research
of
> > its teeth size I found out the ferret was aprox, 5-6 weeks old
Dr Karen wrote:
> I would be very concerned about trauma in a ferret this young
> showing signs of hind limb weakness. I've also seen meningitis in
> young ferrets with this sign. You might want to get a second
> opinion, but I think xrays at the very least are a good idea, and
> sedation should not be necessary. Bloodwork, particularly a CBC
and
> chem profile, would also be of use here.
I think a good suggestion would be to get an ADV test done on the
little guy. I know he's young and also a pet store baby but that
doesn't rule out the chance that he could have ADV, right? ADV
causes hind end weakness, right? Just a thought. Besides, when
bringing home a new ferret from ANYWHERE, I think you should ALWAYS
test for ADV. Do it before bringing them home if possible but at
least do it BEFORE exposing him or her to other ferrets. Better safe
than sorry. From reading the ADV list, I've learned that just
because a ferret is from a pet store doesn't mean it's ADV free. A
VERY scary thing.... For more on ADV and how to test with either the
CEP or ELISA methods, click here: http://www.ferret.org/aleutian.htm
Please, get him tested either way. It won't hurt. I really hope the
best for both of you. Thank goodness he had you to help him. Good
luck!
Sincerely,
Erin