From:
"Joanne"
Date: 2007-05-15 03:12:01 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] ferret lower back pain??? HELP
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I'm sorry this is long but wanted to make sure that all of the information I can think of just
in case any of it can help solve what is wrong with her...
Ok here is the story... We have a ferret named Spice. She is a 6 year old blaze. We got
her at 6 weeks old from our pet store in town... she is what started my love for ferrets and
then the shelter to help other ferrets.
Spice is a very smart and clean ferret. What I mean by that is she doesn't mess in her
cage, only her litter box. Even the times she was sick and threw up she would put her
head in the litter box. She has 3 roommates - they have been together for about 5-6
years.
Spice is a good climber and loves to ride on shoulders. She's never fallend off anything
because she "knows everything" and is not a daredevil - she plans her jumps and stuff and
if she thinks she can't make it she doesn't bother trying. She doesn't play much, never
has. She's more interested in getting out of the cage and looking around at everything.
Just how she is.
At the end of January I had a business trip to take. I was gone for a week. Now, I have left
for over 3 weeks before with no problems. Shawn - my cousin and other half of the
shelter - was here. When I came back I found her severally depressed and weighed just
under a pound. After some TLC and a round of antibiotics just to be sure she perked back
up... It only took about 2 weeks and she was up and running around... though showing her
age.
She had started to slow back down again and lose weight. We had her into the vet who
couldn't see anything wrong. So another round of antibiotics and kept feeding her soup.
The last week things have gotten worse. She is still eating soup but she didn't want to
come out and walk around. Just wanted to sleep all of the time. So I left her alone for a
bit and didn't pester her about walking around. I would pull her out of the cage and she
would either go back in or find a sleep sack out of the cage to sleep in.
Last night I had a pretty good scare.
Well when I went to check on her. I have her in a separate cage (top cage which has two
levels) well she was in the sleeper thing on the second level... which was odd since she
can't move too well. So I went to pull her out.. she was cleaning herself. In an attempt to
make it to the litter box she missed and then fell in it in her cage... So I pull her out and
clean off what was left... and begin to hold her... she tries to move up my shoulder so I
help her up... She's got her head on my shoulder and the rest of her body going down my
neck and chest... then suddenly I feel it... she pee's on me... I start to cry... Something is
really wrong with her in order for her to do this...
I sit on the floor and try to figure out what is going on with her. She allows me to move
her legs but when I turn her over to her other side she "chirps" again and tries to get
away... it's more of a pain reaction and a "I don't want to bit you but that hurts" reaction. I
calm her back down and go to put her in her cage. But as I reach for her sleep sack in the
cage I find the reason why she went up top... she had pee'd in it. Not wanting to be dirty
she moved to the other sleep-sack there... only to pee in it too... so then she had no other
choice but to move to the second level.
So I got her 2 new sleep-sacks and changed her litter box to the puppy training pads. I
put her in the sleep-sack very carefully...
I took her to the vet this afternoon. They did several x-rays and didn't come up with
anything. The vet thought maybe insulinoma but her symptoms (because of the pain)
don't match it. They couldn't do the glucose test because their strips hadn't arrived yet.
He does see a small calcuim deposit on her hip but doesn't feel that is causing her pain.
there are no breaks or anything... and it seems like the pain starts at the middle of her
back.
She hasn't been climbing at all because of being sick. Hasn't been stepped on. The other
kids don't play rough with her (they leave the Queen B alone unless SHE wants to play with
them).
She doesn't seem to have much control over her bladder at all. You can move her legs and
stuff and she doesn't have pain. You can poke around on her sides and her back and her
hips and tail and nothing.
She keeps her back legs pulled up. When she does try to walk she sorta sits on her right
side and pulls herself along with her front paws and her left leg (though the left leg
doesn't work too much).
I'm at a loss as to what is wrong... could it be something that wouldn't really show up in an
x-ray? She did get a cortisone shot in the hopes that it will help.
Could it be something like tape worms or something along those lines? Would they show
up on an x-ray? There was no blockage seen.
It's like she's protecting her tummy but when the vet was feeling it she was ok with him
touching it.
I'm sorta thinking a pinched nerve. Which was one of the reason she got the shot.
But... I want to know what you all think... I hate to see her in pain... I hate to see any of
them in pain...
Pass this on to anyone you think might be able to help.
Thanks
Joanne - Ferret Corner Shelter
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