From:
julie_fossa@yahoo.com
Date: 2005-05-23 00:13:32 UTC
Subject: Rear weakness with pain
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2487942.1116807212511.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
I'm looking for help from anyone with experience with a similar situation.
Nine days ago a ferret was brought to me that was unable/too weak to walk. She obviously had bleeding ulcers, had been to the vet nearly 3 weeks earlier for grinding, and had been put on carafate, amoxi and biaxin. At the time of the vet visit, she was still walking.
By the time 'Baby' came to me, she was dehydrated, only eating softened kibble and passing pretty much digested blood.
I managed to hydrate her and got the bleeding stopped; she began eating well once she started getting the carafate before each feeding.
Without going into a weeks' worth of information, we have have decided she has likely thrown a clot, and it's affecting her spine.
Xrays reveal this 1 year old female has cardiomyopathy which is likely congenital (unless the stress of the ulcers for the past month could have caused it). It appears her heart is not only enlarged, but pushed low, against her diaphragm. She does not appear to have a mass in her upper chest, suggestive of JL. Possibly a small amount of fluid.
She will only 'paddle' with her back legs to navigate to the litter paper- and for a while stopped going to her paper until we started her on a higher dose of pred. She keeps her legs pulled up close to her body with her toes curled into 'fists' when she is still. (feet are warm)
Saturday, she had a 'high normal' temp, but today it was 103.7 earlier. She is on amoxi.
She has responded well to the addition of pred to her baby food. She is now also on pain meds; she has jagged breathing with a rapid heartrate, and pants a lot. I am unsure if the panting is due to the pain or fever. Touching her legs or her spine (below her ribcage) caused pain with a biting response from her at the vet's. She did not seem to mind the vet pressing on different areas of her stomach/abdomen areas. No questionable abdominal masses felt.
My question is this; if this is a thrown clot, how much movement and exercise would be ok and is it ok to try to keep her moving a little to keep her muscles from wasting? Should she be kept as quiet as possible?
With the severe ulcers, we are hesitant to use a blood thinner to break up the clot.
Is there anything else this sounds like?
Thanks,
Julie and Baby