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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2015 16:41:50 GMT -5
I hadn't thought of a stroke...does she have weakness on one side of her body? I don't know if that symptom applies to ferrets like it does to people. Lou seems to be weak all over, but mainly in his hind legs.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2015 20:31:29 GMT -5
With my first babies, my vet would do this bouncie thing on the table with their back legs---hold them up and see if they would push off i guess. I can't remember if i asked her why. It was so long ago.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2015 23:51:04 GMT -5
Lou doesn't catch himself at all, but it's hard to tell if that's because he's blind or if it's a neurological issue. It's a question I'll have to ask the vet when I take him in!
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Post by Sherry on Nov 9, 2015 12:06:47 GMT -5
This was Lucrezia day four after her stroke. She was recovering slowly, but succumbed after two more in one day(ignore the neck- she'd had surgery to remove a mass there):
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2015 12:25:49 GMT -5
I'm really sorry to hear about her, Sherry. It's clear that you did all you could though. Fortunately, Lou isn't walking quite like that. I'll try and take a video tonight to share.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2015 1:39:46 GMT -5
Here is a link to a video I took tonight of Lou. I could only figure out how to upload it to youtube from my phone.
In this video he's actually a little better than normal because my boyfriend had just walked into the room and he wasn't aimlessly wandering (although, I did notice that he was starting to play with a toy again tonight, which hasn't happened for quite a few weeks). He usually staggers around a bit more and falls a bit less, but I think this video does a good job of summing up his problems. There's also a bit around 17 seconds where he seems to get lost. It is hard to tell if it's just his blindness or something else causing him to be unsteady.
Edit: I didn't realize just how skinny he looks until watching the video back again. It's worth mentioning that he's lost about 1/4 pound in the past 9 to 12 months, since their last check up at the vet. He's always hovered around 2.3 or 2.4 pounds and now he weighs verrrrrrry slightly over 2.1 pounds.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 10, 2015 13:14:03 GMT -5
d*mn. He really is wobbly on his back end. I honestly don't know what the issue would be if not BG or neurological then. Blindness alone wouldn't cause that. Many people have ferrets who they don't even realize have gone blind until they change things around, or get into a new house and the ferret starts bumping into things. Has he been checked for things like ear infections, etc?
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Post by Heather on Nov 10, 2015 14:08:14 GMT -5
Wow...he walks and moves like some of my malnourished rescues. I wonder if there's an absorption problem?! Blind ferrets don't move like that (I'm not saying he's not blind), I'm just saying that a blind ferret doesn't move in an unsteady gait. This is Minion. He was blind. It's not a good video because it's a happy Minion. He's using his ears not his eyes. If BG is normal, and skull and spinal xrays (his gait is similar to Calypso's...we originally thought insulinoma, but it turned out to be a tumour on the spinal column at the base of the skull) are normal...has blood work been done? Malabsorption will show up in the blood work. Have his ears checked for mite infestation, ear infection. Odin was suspected of insulinoma (though his gait wasn't anywhere near as bad as this) but it turned out to be a tumour of the duodenum. It was preventing proper absorption of nutrients ciao
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2015 16:26:20 GMT -5
Heather- your link lead to a photo, but I am on mobile. I'll check it on my computer when I get home.
Heather- I was able to watch the video at home. I can hardly tell Minion's blind! I haven't seen Lou jump or play around at all since he started bumping into things and being wobbly.
The vet did not check his ears, I didn't even think about mentioning it either. Could an ear infection or ear mites cause him to walk like that?
For the past few weeks he's been avoiding heart, I manage to trick him into eating a bit but he is definitely not eating enough. Could a lack of taurine cause him to be so skinny, or would a tumor make more sense?
His bloodwork came back normal, but I will have it done again at the specialty vet and ask them to check it for malabsorption.
Last question- Lou was born deaf, could being deaf and blind possibly lead him to walk this way? (I'm trying to avoid the reality that it's most likely a tumor at this point)
Thank you so much for all of your help, everyone. It means the world!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2015 20:44:29 GMT -5
That would be horrible to be deaf and blind. I would get his ears checked for mites. I do not know about serious conditions . sorry i could not be helful....but definitely get ears checked because it can cause permanent damage to inner ear and balance problems. Bless your heart little one get better.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2015 2:56:41 GMT -5
I am going to take him to the vet as soon as I can...meaning my local vet, not the specialist a few hours away. I've had a very busy past 24 hours (My professor let me know I'm 4 weeks behind on a class I completely forgot about, as well as being several weeks behind in a few other classes because my focuses have been elsewhere...), but I finally got some time to spend with the boys...and Lou has dried blood on his ear. It is about a centimeter long and a few millimeters wide on the very outside flap of his ear, but I can't tell if my other ferret, B, was too rough with grooming, if Lou got stuck on something, or if this is yet another symptom. I'll be taking him to my local vet as soon as possible to check if he has an ear infection and if this blood can somehow be related.
Lou is still eating and drinking, although I can definitely feel his ribs, shoulder blades, and spine now. I made an appointment with the specialist for next week, and hopefully I won't have to cancel. I couldn't make it earlier because my car needed maintenance, and I just found out today that my brakes are about to give out. The mechanic said I had a few weeks left on them, so I'll be taking that chance and traveling about four hours round trip.
Although Lou clearly has symptoms and definitely is not doing well, I feel like I'm exaggerating things when I try and express my worries with other people..My dad (who is paying for my school, although I am otherwise completely independent, has never liked my ferrets) thinks that it's ridiculous that I'm even considering taking Lou to the vet. When I spent $1200 on Chip's medical bills to find out there was little I could do, he thought it was a foolish mistake. My boyfriend also thinks that taking Lou to the specialist is a waste of money, but I can't understand why they wouldn't want to spend all this money to find out what's wrong. I'm not the only one who spends hundreds or thousands of dollars on their ferrets, right?
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Post by Sherry on Nov 14, 2015 10:44:03 GMT -5
We have just spent over 2k in the last 2 months. Only to lose one, and get the other(hopefully) treated.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2015 12:36:24 GMT -5
Lou's ear seems to be healing well, it looks like it was just an accident which is a relief. I have an appointment with the speciality vet on Wednesday, and then hopefully I'll have good news!
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Post by Sherry on Nov 17, 2015 10:38:57 GMT -5
Good luck!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2015 19:23:00 GMT -5
We are finally back from the vet, it was a very long 4 hour round trip drive, along with 2 hours spent at the vet, so Lou nestled into bed immediately.
We started from scratch and redid all the tests done at the last visits, as well as having an x-ray taken.
Bloodwork - Blood sugar levels were again normal, so we've completely ruled out insulinoma. He was again a little anemic, but the vet said that could be a symptom of many things.
Weight - Probably the most startling part of the whole visit. At my local vet on the 5th he weight 2.1 pounds, today he was weighed in at slightly over 1.6 pounds. That being said, he is still eating and drinking, although less than normal. When I brought up his raw diet to this vet she was not opposed to it, but did suggest that we try some evo or blue cat food for a while to see if his weight goes up. Any recommendations on the brand? It's been so long since I researched cat food for ferrets I don't even remember what's best.
Ears - The vet took a look at his ears but couldn't see anything that would indicate an ear infection. Although she didn't completely rule it out, she said an infection was highly unlikely. She agreed that it seemed that my other ferret was chewing a bit too hard on his ears and causing some sores, but that that was the only problem there.
Eyes - Did not see any cataracts, but again did not rule them out completely, although highly unlikely.
Lymph Nodes - The vet said his nodes were normal, if not slightly smaller than a normal ferret.
X-Ray - Lou's liver is smaller than normal, his heart is rounded and larger than normal, and there is a haze in the x-ray in his left lung and a small portion of his heart.
Her diagnosis was very open, she said her biggest theory was that he has heart disease. She was unable to tell if he has any tumors because she would need to do a CAT scan (something I didn't know), but that that could also be just as likely of a diagnosis. She sent out his bloodwork to an outside lab and sent a copy of his x-ray to another specialist to get their opinion on his heart and the haze. She'll call me tomorrow with the results from both of those. The vet did mention having a cardiograph done, but said that it could be pricey and potentially pointless because the specialist she recommended doing the cardiograph has not done many ferrets. The vet said she would bring it up with this specialist and see if it is something they would be willing to do, and possibly even if they'd be willing to do it for free as a learning/studying experience.
I think that's all, I'll add more if I remember anything else.
Any thoughts on the appointment?
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