Message Number: YG10623 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Jan Cook
Date: 2002-01-30 23:53:00 UTC
Subject: Zachary the wobbly boy

Hi Folks,

I tried posting this before but didn’t receive much response,
could be no one out there has experienced this, but as things
haven’t changed, I thought I would try again.

My ferret Zachary very suddenly developed what I can best
describe as a weakness in his rear left leg. He and his three
bunkmates were left, snug in their cage ,over one day and
night, while we visited family at Christmas. On letting them
out to exercise, I noticed that Zach was very unsteady on his
feet and lurched/veered sharply to the left when he started
to walk.

This has continued ever since. He has been thoroughly examined
by my ferret-knowledgeable vet, who at first thought he had
maybe trapped a nerve and put him on a small dose of Pred.
However, apart from maybe not being quite so noticeably
left-sided in his gait, not much has improved. It is not an
ear infection – I actually hoped it was, as this at least
could be cleared up with medication. Here is a list of his
symptoms/my observations:

[IMG] He sometimes sways gently from side to side when he
stands still.
[IMG] Most often, his left leg seems to give out and he
pitches over, sometimes right on to his poor head. It
sometimes seems like he is experiencing a delayed reaction.
[IMG] He does not seem to be in any pain at all, he is
just as exuberant and bouncy as ever. He is still very fast on
his feet.
[IMG] He seems worse when he has just woken up.
[IMG] He does seems a little non-plused by it all, he
comes over and kind of collapses on my feet and looks up at me
[IMG] I believe he is already learning to compensate and
adapt
[IMG] He has some trouble climbing stairs

If anyone (especially vets or Shelter folks), has come across
similar symptoms in a ferret, I would be grateful for anything
that you can tell me. I am currently looking in to
chiropractic or massage for him – it has helped me get over
back problems! My vet thinks it could be some small growth
between his vertebrae – his colleague’s dog had something
similar and it was untreatable. (Sorry I don’t remember the
term he used!)

Thanks

Jan – worried ferret mum.