Shes not walking

Question
QUESTION: I've had my ferret for about a month now. She's the first ferret I've ever owned. She has had a cough ever since i bought her, I bought medicine to give to her and i seemed to work a little. She has never had a problem with energy, she's very hyper and playful. Yesterday when I got her out, she didn't try to climb all over me, she was just letting me pet and hold her which is unusual. I thought maybe she was just sleepy and enjoying being held. After I'd held her a while i put her down on the floor to play. She just sat there, she tried to walk around a couple time but it's like her legs are not working. I've checked all her limbs and back for swollen or painful places, but I've felt nothing and she doesn't act like she's in pain, even when trying to walk. She can move and feel both front and back legs, when I hold them she'll pull them away. She's still eating and drinking fine, and she looks around alert as ever. Do you think this is something that will pass? since I've only had her a month and she's under warranty from the shop, my husband doesn't want to waste money taking her to a vet, he wants to trade her in. She was my birthday present and I don't want to give up on her. Please help!

ANSWER: Hi Audra:

I'm so sorry to hear your little girl is having trouble walking! It's impossible for me to know what could have caused it, but I could guess that possibly she fell in her cage and injured her back or legs, hopefully just bruised them and needs some time to heal, but really should have some xrays to be sure she doesn't need a cast on a leg or have a bone out of joint that needs to be set.

Having ferrets comes with these kinds of problems and if you aren't prepared to have a very close relationship with your vet, then a ferret probably isn't the pet for you. I can assure you that if you return the ferret to the pet shop, it will be put the sleep - pet shops are only interested in getting money from their "merchandise" and they can get a refund from her if there was something wrong with her, so it would be to their benefit to let her die. Our local pet shop puts their sick/injured ferrets in a box behind the store until they die in the heat (I live in the desert), then turns in the body for credit and another ferret. So, that will likely be her future if you turn her back in to the pet store. The local pet store owner here, whom I've had horrible run ins with stated to me (and I quote)"I AM A MERCHANDISER, NOT A NURSEMAID!" when I approached him about a sick ferret in his shop after an employee told me what the 'boss' does with sick animals. I was so shocked!!!  I ended up just walking out the door with the sick ferret and taking it to a vet myself.  Yes, it cost me a few dollars, but he was one of the most precious ferrets I ever had.  He KNEW I had rescued him!

Your little girl was coming to you TRUSTING you that you will help her - that's why she was being so gentle. She did not bite you nor get nippy like she COULD have done. I would say you probably have a really really sweet little ferret there and if it were me, I'd keep her at any cost and get her to a vet ASAP.  If you cannot do that, then I certainly wouldn't get another one.....if not this, then *something* else will happen to another one and there is always some vet expense of some kind.  You can keep them down to some extent by learning as much as you can about ferrets and protecting them from as many dangers as possible, such as not letting them climb up on high places, not eat things they shouldn't, keeping them out of things they shouldn't get into, thorough ferretproofing, etc.

IF you decide to keep you ferret, write me again and I'll be glad to help you with as much information as I can to help you get as ferret-wise as possible to try to prevent any future accidents or illnesses, but there are never any guarantees, just as there are not with children, but you don't send them back when something is wrong with them.  Perhaps you should ask your husband if he would want to send a child back if there was something wrong with it?  YOU MUST stand up and speak up for this precious little ferret - nobody else can. You know what the end result will be if you do not.

PLEASE.,..if you don't keep her, at least give her to a shelter where she WILL receive the care she needs and not be killed.  I can give you lists of shelters you can take her to if you wish...just let me know, okay?  I hope and pray you will decide to keep her and love her through this problem. I'm sure she will bounce back just fine. Ferrets are very very tough little critters who will fight hard to live when someone loves them, but they give up very easily when they have no one.  I beg of  you to hold her close to you, to get the vet care she needs and to write back and let me help you in any way I can.  If you live close to me, I would even offer to buy her from you - are you anywhere near Arizona?  I can drive to get her if it's okay with you - I just hate to see her die. Please update me and let me know if I can help. I'm only interested in helping in any way I can to save this little girl's life - PLEASE don't take her back!!  Please let me know your decision and if it is possible that I can help in any way, okay? Thanks!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again. I wanted to thank you for being so kind to me before and to let you know what has happened since. the day after I wrote you, my girl Podo perked up a bit. She wasn't back to her old self but she was limping around and trying to play.I thought she was getting over what was wrong. But the next day she was back to not being able to move around. In fact she was worse than before. I called around to find a vet that sees ferrets and finally found one but they couldn't see her until the next day. So i made an appointment. The next day I got her out of her cage to get her ready to go, and I saw that her back legs were swollen (they had not been before this). The vet looked her over and did a few tests. He concluded that she had a tumor on her spine that was eating away at her nerves. He said that the speed that she was going down hill was extremely fast and that any treatment they could do would probably not help. He recommended that I put her to sleep. I knew she was suffering even though she wasn't in any pain, so I had him put her to sleep. She is buried in my yard by a rose bush. I only had her for a short time but I'll always miss her.

On a brighter side I decided to adopt 2 ferrets from a local shelter. They have been together all their lives and I love them already so much. I want to thank you again for all your help and kind words, and i hope i can write you again if i need any advice.

Answer
Hi Audra:

I'm so sorry you lost your little girl.  Please go to:  http://www.petloss.com and write a tribute for her so you will have something to remember her by forever. There are lots of things there to comfort you also including a Monday Night Candle Lighting Ceremony at 8pm EST on Monday nights (submit by sunday mornings) - you can submit a week late, that's fine.

My heart breaks for you. God bless ((((((((hugs))))))) and thank you for putting her out of her pain. She possibly fell in her cage and had a spinal injury - hard to say what happened. Just so glad you were there for her.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers