stitch

Question
i have a 3yr old male ferret, which i adopted from a rescue centre 2yrs ago. Stitch has always walked with a bit of a limp favoring one leg to the other, but the last month i have noticed him occasionally dragging his back legs while just using his front legs. I asked the vet a year ago to check his legs out, her response was he doesn't seem to be in any obvious pain and there wasn't any obvious defect upon examination. He has never been very lively, but does enjoy occasional play time with my Jill ferret 'lilo', which he is still continuing, when she is in the mood!. He has a good appetite and eats dried ferret food, normally James wellbeloved, drinks well and his feaces is normal. Like i said he has always walked with a limp but i am concerned about his increased weakness in his back legs and i have also noticed him having more trouble climbing the stairs than before, he also falls over very easily. have you any ideas why this is and have you any suggestions of supplements i can give him to strengthen his legs.

Answer
Hi Jennie and Stitch,

I am so sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner. I was away from my computer all weekend.

The hind end weakness really worries me. That is never a good sign. It could mean a number of different illnesses which means Stitch needs to see a vet right away, because all of those illnesses can put Stitch into serious trouble. It could be a broken bone, a brain injury/disease, a spinal problem, insulinoma, heart disease, adrenal disease, anemia, or aleutian disease. As you can see, hind end weakness characterizes a few problems, and all require a vet visit. Please get Stitch to a vet right away!

I hope this information helped. I know I didn't give you a lot of information, but there isn't a lot I can tell you to do to treat Stitch's problem.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews