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Post by aurra on Mar 28, 2020 10:07:14 GMT -5
I'm just waiting for my boyfriend to get home with him car. I'm going to the emergency vet at around 2pm. But any advice as to what is happening can help because im having a melt down.
My rescue of an unknown age isn't ok. We think he's 4 but he was in such bad shape when I got him a year ago. His back legs were always a little wonky. They faced outwards and he waddled. He's blaze and deaf and can't open his mouth so only eats duck soup.
This morning I found him laying in the middle of the floor and I started scratching his butt like I always do and I realized that he wasn't moving. I picked him up and he was shaking. My boyfriend made his duck soup and we fed him outside his room. He's using his front paws to drag himself. He has a little poop and pee on him and he pooped in my boyfriends hands.
He's laying in a bed beside me right now trying to sleep. I'm really scared.
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Post by bluedragonshai on Mar 28, 2020 10:39:26 GMT -5
Hi, I hope your baby is going to be okay, I no ferret expert but googled your ferrets symptoms and found this wagwalking.com/ferret/condition/hind-leg-weaknessagain not an expert but with the fact it says hind leg weakness is also accompanied by lack of control over urine and poop, it just sounds similar to your situ
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Post by aurra on Mar 28, 2020 14:28:11 GMT -5
Thank you. I dropped him at the vet an hour ago. I've just been sitting outside in my car waiting for them to call me. I'm not allowed in because of the virus. They said they're going to take his vitals and then call me. I'm really scared because this is just an emergency vet. I can't see my regular vet because he's gone until the end of April. I hope they know enough about ferrets.
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Post by caitmonster on Mar 28, 2020 14:39:32 GMT -5
Oh gosh, poor little thing. How worrisome. Here's hoping he'll be OK <3
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Post by bluedragonshai on Mar 28, 2020 15:12:30 GMT -5
Thank you. I dropped him at the vet an hour ago. I've just been sitting outside in my car waiting for them to call me. I'm not allowed in because of the virus. They said they're going to take his vitals and then call me. I'm really scared because this is just an emergency vet. I can't see my regular vet because he's gone until the end of April. I hope they know enough about ferrets. No problem I hope he will be okay <3
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Post by aurra on Mar 28, 2020 19:02:18 GMT -5
My heart is breaking and I don't know what to do. They told me that they could run tests but because they are emergency it will cost more. $400 for x-ray, $300 for blood work $400 for neuro. His bladder isn't working and was full when I got there. They had to manually empty it. I asked the vet what should I do. She said that the tests aren't going to fix it. Chances are, nothing will fix him and she wouldn't know where to start with the tests. She said my best option is to either go straight to euthanasia or take him home and think. I took him home. She showed me how to make him pee. I haven't been successful yet but I'm going to keep trying. I really don't know what to do. I feel so selfish for bringing him home but I just need someone to tell me what to do. He's still eating and drinking. He's not very lively though. He loves exploring and digging in my plant pots and he hiding in boots. He just wants to be tucked into bed now. 😠I miss my vet so much. I feel like he would know what to do and wouldn't leave me feeling like no matter what I do it's wrong. I'm just left with a "what if I did..." Feeling with every option.
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Post by PatienceTheVirtue on Mar 28, 2020 20:58:13 GMT -5
My heart is breaking and I don't know what to do. They told me that they could run tests but because they are emergency it will cost more. $400 for x-ray, $300 for blood work $400 for neuro. His bladder isn't working and was full when I got there. They had to manually empty it. I asked the vet what should I do. She said that the tests aren't going to fix it. Chances are, nothing will fix him and she wouldn't know where to start with the tests. She said my best option is to either go straight to euthanasia or take him home and think. I took him home. She showed me how to make him pee. I haven't been successful yet but I'm going to keep trying. I really don't know what to do. I feel so selfish for bringing him home but I just need someone to tell me what to do. He's still eating and drinking. He's not very lively though. He loves exploring and digging in my plant pots and he hiding in boots. He just wants to be tucked into bed now. 😠I miss my vet so much. I feel like he would know what to do and wouldn't leave me feeling like no matter what I do it's wrong. I'm just left with a "what if I did..." Feeling with every option. I’m really really not well versed in ferrets since I only just got my first two a week ago, but shaking and hind end weakness sound a bit like insulinoma? There’s lots of information on it on the forum but I’m on mobile so I can’t go summarize it very easily right now. Maybe check it out and start calling around for other vets that aren’t your normal one to bring him to? Holisticferretforum.com
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Post by aurra on Mar 28, 2020 21:02:21 GMT -5
He had his blood sugar tested and he's normal so it wouldn't be insulinoma.
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Post by Corvidophile on Mar 28, 2020 21:04:26 GMT -5
It’s a heavy and horrible situation. You can always bring him back for euthanasia if you decide, but it’s precious to have him home while you consider what to do. It’s true that the test alone will never cure him, just give you an idea of where to go. Don’t beat yourself up for feeling lost, we all do when we’re likely to lose a pet. Unfortunately hind end weakness is caused by such a wide array of problems that it’s impossible to guess online unless you saw something happen (a fall, or something falling on top of the ferret).
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Post by aurra on Mar 28, 2020 22:08:20 GMT -5
I was second guessing myself and went through my camera footage by the minute without skimming. I have a younger girl, about 8 months that was chasing him at about 10pm. It looks like she wouldnt leave him alone. She wasn't grabbing him and didn't seem rough. She just seemed annoying. He seems to be ok. He's always had a waddle so it doesn't look like anything is wrong. The couch has the legs removed so it's only about 10 inches off the ground. He hops up and goes behind the cushion where the normally sleep at 10:10. She follows him but isn't in there long and the cushions don't seem to be moving. At 10:50pm he drags his legs out of the cushion and to a litter box where he lays down and Jango goes over and starts smelling him. He manages to get away from him and has a bit of use of his legs. He waddles back to the couch at 11pm and goes behind it (just blankets back there) and comes out at 11:10 no use of legs.
Could Aurra have hurt him somehow? He's not showing signs of pain at all. Could he be sick and they could smell it on him?
No use of back legs Uncontrollable poops I have to push pee out Still eating and drinking very well Sleeping a lot (probably because he cant move much) Vet says breathing is fine Blood sugar is normal Temperature is normal
added: While cleaning poop off him with a baby wipe. When I went over his rectum his legs started kicking and his tail twitched. I was very gentle too.
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Post by Corvidophile on Mar 29, 2020 7:43:02 GMT -5
I was gonna suggest damage to the spine until he started kicking when you wiped his behind- so he does have feeling it seems! Just weakness. Could be heart failure or a pinched nerve. It’s very good that he’s eating and drinking. If he’s always had wonky back legs this may have been a long time coming. Are you able to get him to expel urine reliably? ‘Cause that could lead to further problems if it lays in the bladder too long.
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Post by aurra on Mar 29, 2020 8:00:59 GMT -5
I'm able to expel a little bit at a time. I try every 2 -3 hours. It doesn't look like the amount normally does. There's no change in his condition today. I think it's today. I have alarms set everything 2.5 ish hours so I didn't sleep. I'm trying to prepare myself mentally today. This isn't a good life for him if this is forever. He really hates when I have to clean his bum and doesn't seem to enjoy pee time. He's eating right now and seems to be enjoying it. I'm going to have coffee and try to figure out emailing vet. I left him on the towel and he kind of just turn his direction and wants to sleep. Doesn't want to explore or anything.
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Post by unclejoe on Mar 29, 2020 14:27:40 GMT -5
I wonder if he could have a bladder stone? Did the vet mention that? what do you feed him? I see him eating soup, but some grain free kibbles have ingredients (peas, sweet potatoes, et al,) that can cause certain types of stones. best wishes and please keep us posted.
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Post by aurra on Mar 29, 2020 16:03:16 GMT -5
I wonder if he could have a bladder stone? Did the vet mention that? what do you feed him? I see him eating soup, but some grain free kibbles have ingredients (peas, sweet potatoes, et al,) that can cause certain types of stones. best wishes and please keep us posted. He eats ground up wysong epigen 90 and digestive support. I mix it 50/50.. also ferrettone and raw egg. He had an ultrasound in December or November I don't remember, for a bladder stone check and he was clear. I had 3 ferrets with bladder stones because they used to be on orijen. I was able to text my regular vet and he said it seems like neuro and I should get a spine x-ray. So tomorrow (pray I get in tomorrow) I will be asking for an x-ray and if it shows nothing then we'll do blood work. I'm so exhausted. I just had an hour nap with him beside me. I'm worried that I'm not doing the bladder right. The vet couldn't show my properly because I wasn't allowed in the office and we had to do it in the parking lot right after I bawled my eyes out in the car. His pee comes out but just leaks down. I don't know what it's supposed to look like coming out. I had a stream for like 2 seconds.
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Post by aurra on Mar 30, 2020 17:05:00 GMT -5
He's gone
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