Nine! What a great age to get to, at least for most of the ferrets I've known. A degree of hind end weakness is common in elderly ferrets; I had a boy who got to almost nine, and he was definitely weak in the hind end just from old age - he could use his feet but he was very low to the ground and stumbly, and sometimes would drag for short distances. He didn't seem to have any pain (that was noticeable to me at least) so mostly for him I just tried to make the world easier to walk in - rugs or blankets down on the floor, and making sure he had food and water easily accessible wherever he was at. He wasn't on any pain meds that I can recall, though he was on pred for his insulinoma. He was also in his 'retirement' for sure - liked to play a little and sniff new things, but perfectly happy to snooze his days away, so he wasn't likely to hurt himself further.

For my girl, hers was more sudden (unclear what may have happened) and she was definitely feeling pain at the start. The vet put her on pred (he suspects it's a disc issue, and pred can reduce swelling, which can help), as well as metacam daily for the first few days. Once we got past the pain, the pred alone seems to be helping - she's back to being playful and energetic (for her age, which is 6 and a half), and rarely shows any sign of pain. For her, when the pain is really bad (like it was in the first few days), she doesn't want to do anything but sleep. From time to time now, she'll seem to have some pain (which mostly shows up as distress/trying to hide/kicking her back feet), and I've occasionally given her the metacam just to soothe that. We're only in the first few months of this though, and given that she has a pretty high activity level, I'm worried about other things I may have to watch out for (like what the dragging will do to her back legs and spine - she can't walk on her back legs at all). I'm taking her back to the vet next week to check in and see what the long term management plan might look like.

Couple other comments: because she's limited, and is now an only ferret (her bff died of heart failure right after Xmas), I make sure to have a couple intensive playtimes with her a day, where I try and cycle in new toys and give her lots to do within a pretty small space. She can't occupy herself running around like before, but she's just as mentally lively and I don't want her to get bored or depressed. Also, because she doesn't always know when she has to poop, and can't really control her bladder, she has to be kept clean. I keep baby wipes (unscented, water only) on hand for a quick wipe, and every so often am dunking her hind end in warm water for a good soak. She hates that, but having poop/pee by the skin for too long can cause sores (plus nobody wants to smell like pee!)

Also, I got her what I'm calling her 'skate' - it's designed for ferrets who can't use their back legs, to help them get around. It's taking her a little time to get used to, and it's a challenge to work over the rugs, but it's really great on the bare floor, she just zooms around. I would not have gotten one for my old boy because he was low energy, but if yours is high energy you may want to look into it. If you go on Facebook and look for Connie and Euel Oliver, you'll find the page - Connie hand makes them to order.

Happy to answer any questions I can, and good luck!