If the Petco had her then she should have come with a Marshall's set of papers.
Unless she was a returned ferret, then most likely she would have been young as they represented her to you.
Some Petco's do accept Ferrets to resell as Rescues but they should have told you that.
Most likely, she is the age they told you she was.
When you take her to the Vet, bring along a piece of paper and take notes. It can be an emotional time and it's hard to think clearly when we're so worried.
They should do an Xray in the office and some Bloodwork.
After you get the results and talk to the vet, please post to us and some of our experienced Ferrents who have dealt with alot of medical issues can help you understand what you might be facing.
Ask if they think she has Insulinoma? Or if it might be Juvenile Lymphoma?
If the Vet wants to start her on Prednisone, then ask for Prednisolone which is easier on their little bodies.
Ask what her Blood Glucose is. You might call them and ask if they want her to fast before she is brought in. A fasting Blood test is preferable to diagnose Insulinoma.
Ask the Vet to check her teeth and see if there is any translucency that might help to age her.
You might want to bring along Zorro to reassure her and let Zorro get a feel for his first vet visit.
Your Mom is a nurse and that should help with talking to the Vet.
The Vet will weigh her and I'd like to know her weight also.
Let him know how much time she has out of her cage and how often she gets play time with you.
Talk to the Vet about her diet and also Zorro's.
If he diagnoses Insulinoma, then take careful notes about how to give her the medicine. He should tell you that she needs to eat before getting her medicine, if he prescribes Pred.
I know how hard it is to imagine losing little Swiper. Wait and see what the Vet says.
As
Heather said, it's possible there was a misdiagnosis if the Emergency Vet is not a ferret savvy vet but I'm not trying to get your hopes up. I'm just hoping that they are wrong.
Let him know about the Emergency visit and the seizures and tell him who you took her to be seen by.
As for Zorro, he is a baby. He was taken from his Mother a bit too young. That's what Marshall's does.
Zorro is a baby and he still needs his food to be wet. Hard kibble is difficult for a young one.
Now you will need to teach him his social skills and that includes Nip Training.
Zorro needs to play and will get overexcited. If he gets too nippy during play, you will do what other ferrets do. Stop the play and walk away for two minutes. Then come back and play again.
This will teach him that play stops when he gets too rough but that you are willing to play again if he doesn't play too rough.
He will pick up on that quickly. Ferrets are very smart. He is a baby though and Ferret's skin is rough and kits play rough. He simply needs to learn that our skin is not as tough.
You don't want to ever tap him on the nose or spray him with water. That will send the wrong message and you will have a frightened ferret who associates you with fear. Be gentle and patient and he will learn.
Some ways to play with him can be waggling a blanket and giving him blanket rides.
A Cat teaser toy or something like that is fun for him to jump up and around at. It also keeps your hands away from those little nippy teeth.
Exploring with him is a great way to build a bond. Pick him up and show him everything from the sink running to inside some Ferret proofed places in your house. Ferrets love to explore and I call that Border Patrol
Let's see what the Vet says and let's hope for the best.
:wave3: