From:
d6n6b6@yahoo.co.uk
Date: 2005-02-16 12:40:36 UTC
Subject: RE: neurological problem?? WAS:prednisone already? or wait?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <6930564.1108557636679.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Thank all for your responses.
Unfortunately, only a few hours after I had sent my original message, he began to act very strangely.
He was asleep with me in the living room after he had received his essiac with a spoon of Waltham Convalescence support for cats (the powder, not the wet food), everything was fine.
Then I heard him wake up and I went to see him. He was laying flat on the ground, did a few steps, laid flat again... I've seen ferrets do this before, when they just wake up, but this was different.
He also lifted his head now and then, looked up, and then it was like he couldn't bear his own head anymore and he let it "fell" down but immediately lifted it again. (like nodding, but then only one time and very vigorous).
He did this several times, and he was also shaking (tremor) the whole time I had him on my lap.
I had called my boyfriend immediately, to drive us to the vets, but when he arrived (about half an hour later) he was better again, and since I didn't have an appointment with the vet and she was very busy, I waited until this morning to take him to the vet.
I should also mention that he didn't want water during his "attack", it was like he was pressing his jaws against eachother, he made it very difficult to look in his mouth (I wanted to check his gingiva and see wether there was nothing in his mouth-he just woke up but you never know-). He wanted to eat a bit of chicken gravy though, although he had problems with the "nodding" (his chin fell down on the plate every time).
There was also some mild incoordination and sometimes he fell over a bit.
He was back to his normal self the rest of the day.
But when I woke him up this morning to go to the vet, he had the tremor and the nodding again, although less severely then yesterday.
At the vet's, you could still see him nodding now and then, but not much at the beginning. He had no fever and she did a few neurological positioning tests, they were ok. But when she gave a little pressure in his neck, just behind his skull, he nodded very heavily, every single time.
She didn't know what to do now...
She ruled out meningitis, based on the fact that he had no fever?
Metastized lymphoma? (the original one is in the mesenterium and she agreed with me that it didn't feel like it had grown). Also his peripheral lymph nodes weren't swollen according to her too (like I already found).
The incoordination made me think of insulinoma (although during the laparotomy 3 months ago, none were found). But this doesn't explain the nodding and the effect of the pressure behind his skull.
Do you have any ideas? Every suggestion is welcome, I know it's difficult to say from over there, as it is already difficult for me to describe, but we can check out every suggestion you make. I'm worried sick.
Also, is there anything pointing AGAINST prednisolone now? (I had just decided on beginning with it, thanks to your answers).
Thanks again,
Wendy