Message Number: YG6664 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Sukie Crandall
Date: 2001-08-26 14:43:00 UTC
Subject: Re: (unknown): starving ferret, long GI prob, poss.
seizures, vision loss -- original post # 21 in digest 356, 8/25

> Good to hear that she'll adjust quite well. She's been walking the
> perimeter of the house lately (along walls and so forth) She seems to
> have the place pretty much memorized and gets by ok. And yes..she's
> always been deaf..took me about a year to finally realize it. I've
> read it's quite common for albino/dark eyed whites to be deaf.

There is a lot in the past posts about color dilution and deafness.
Look esp. for posts from geneticist, Brett Middleton.

You can use scents such as baking extracts or non-poisonous essential
oils such as fruits, herbs, and spices on things like furniture to
give her a "heads-up" before she runs into something. Can also use
them differently in different areas to label directions.

> Yes..her blood sugar was tested today...it was 46.

Very low.

> So far that's the
> only "blood" test that's been run. She's lost quite a bit of
> weight..but i've been feeding her chicken baby food & hills A/D
> mixture around the clock..so I dont know if i'd really call
> her "starving".

Oh, good!

> I've read about them seeming "spaced out". But I've seen her rock
> back and forth a few minutes. I was wondering if this would be
> considered a "seizure".

With that blood sugar is could be a petite mal one.

> I guess I just dont know what a ferret having
> a seizure would look like...and I want to help her get out of it if
> that's indeed what it is.

Varies from being spaced out to full blown extreme seizures that even
include screaming (not from pain but from air being forced out;
seizures of that level render an individual incapable of knowing
anything that is going on).

> You are right about the Prednisone!!! Today she had an injection at
> the vet office and has been eating like a pig. She's not done that in
> quite some time. She still wont eat kibble (understandable) but she's
> enjoying the chicken baby food VERY much whereas she would barely
> tolerate it before. Now it seems she's looking for it and gobbles it
> up on her own now. In fact..she's eaten more today then she has all
> week!!! She used to eat a jar of baby food in about 4-5 days....

Small jar? That is bad.

> and she's eaten about 3/4ths of a jar today!

But that is marvelous!