From:
daneedv@aol.com
Date: 2002-09-14 19:18:02 UTC
Subject: Re: Can't use back legs after surgery
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <19581753.1032031082981.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Author wrote:
> If she
> was already suffering from sarcopenia (poor muscle levels and poor
> muscle tone) that itself would worsen the normal levels of hind end
> weakness which ferrets suffer with so many forms of illness and
> during recovery.
This is a very good point.
One of the things I have done to try and keep my ferrets with ADV healthy is to make sure they get a lot of exercise each day. With some, all I have to do is let them out of their cages for playtime, but with others, like my Hershey, I have to make him exercise to keep his muscle tone.
Initially when Hershey got very sick, he lost a lot of muscle mass. The loss of muscle made him less active, and being less active made him loose more muscle. I could put weight on him with supplemental feeding, but keeping him active became a challenge.
Fortunately, I discovered that he likes to explore our basement, and will go up and down the stairs. Now, that is part of his daily routine. Our basement isn't ferret proofed, so he needs supervision, but we make several short trips down and back up each day.
Danee