From:
Barbara Peck
Date: 2001-11-15 08:27:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Update on help needed for Yoyo
Greetings!
Thank you to those of you that responded to my request for help with
Yoyo's condition. I think we (the vet and I) have pinpointed why his
symptoms were out of the norm of typical ferret medical problems.
Over the weekend, Yoyo was continued on Baytril, Amoxicillin, and
Prednisone. Although his physical condition didn't really change his
appetite, water intake, and alertness level definitely perked up. As
soon as I would open his door and my other two buddies were out
playing, Yoyo would drag himself out of his house to go join them.
By Monday, he was starting to pull his hind legs up and use them to
push himself more so it appears that he's feeling better and keeping
his muscles exercised. Thankfully, this seems to keep improving.
We had gone back to the vet this past Monday and between his
examination, my update on Yoyo's behavior over the weekend, and the
x-rays we have found that his problem is highly likely to be a spinal
injury that resulted from a fall in his multi-level house. At one
point on his spine the x-ray shows a compression between two
vertebrate toward the lower part of his rib cage. When he showed me
this some other things just made more sense. On several occasions,
my little buddies will spring up out of their hammock to battle one
of those annoying attacks of the itchies. Their house has two
platforms with wire ramps that lead up to each platform. There have
been times when the itchies win and the victim, in mid-scratch, will
loose his/her balance and fall from the platform. I now have two
hammocks - one that they sleep together in and a larger one below to
serve as a safety net. Yoyo's doctor and I are surmising that he had
fallen, missed the lower hammock and hit the ramp. This would
explain why the first day I noticed a problem, Yoyo seemed so
uncomfortable. I'm guessing the fever and lethargy were the result
of pain and swelling in his back which have caused the mobility
problems. We are continuing with the same medicines and Yoyo is
staying in a single level house while I make some home remodeling
improvements to the larger "condo" to widen the platforms and replace
the ramps.
I feel pretty confident that the vet is on the right track but want
to make sure we're not overlooking something that could be more
serious so if anyone in the group thinks we should be looking at the
possibility of another medical condition please let me know.
Thank you!
Barb & Jim
Peanut, Punkin, and Yoyo
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Barbara D. Peck
Director, Graduate Student Enhancement Program
Administrative Secretary to the Vice Provost for Research
Bowling Green State University
120 McFall Center
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403-0183
Phone: (419) 372-7714
FAX: (419) 372-8569
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