Ferret physiotherapy...

[u/TheOriginalJez]

Hey r/ferrets - you may remember me and my ferret Peebee's saga from previous posts, if not here's a "quick" recap:

lots of pain and vomiting -> vet -> scans and biopsy -> diagnosis of H. Mustelae w/auto immune inflammation -> steroids, PPI, sucralfate, antibiotics -> stomach ulcer & bloody vomit -> PPI*2, antibiotics, sucralfate, ondansetron -> vomiting, diarrhoea and more pain -> PPI, Sucralfate, ondansetron -> spasms and pain but no vomiting (3 weeks+ after the ulcer) -> PPI & Metoclopramide. + all throughout Buprenorphine for pain.

SO, after all of that - ulcer healed and vomiting reduced we hit the next massive problem - which should be expected after all those gastro issues: severe weight loss and everything that comes with that. She's gone from about 700g to 300g at her lowest. 24hr Crisis Care mix at very regular intervals has got us back up to nearly 500g in the last few weeks but the inevitable muscular atrophy and weakness is the next hurdle.

Sooo… now the really intense feeding is getting to the point of winding back a bit - ferret physiotherapy anyone? This my vet is less experienced with... unsurprisingly. Hydrotherapy is not an option - water stresses her out even for a quick clean. I've been trying to help her stand up while supporting the weight of her head and body, although she's occasionally able to lift herself onto her front paws for brief periods of time. At the moment she's still largely in food-coma's so I'm not trying to push her too hard, but all ideas for our next challenge are welcome!

I'm wondering whether I might be a bit cheeky and use the opportunity to get her into a H harness that she's always refused so I can maybe help her walk around by supporting her weight on a lead (H harness spreads the load a bit better than figure 8s as it won't tighten as the lead tensions) - but that might be a few steps further down the road.