POST SURGERY FERRET CARE - Pain Meds, Etc

Question
hello again my ferret desse she had surgery for a mass to be removed and i have her in her own cage into she heals and away from the other ferrets,desse bites at the bars is that normal or is she in pian?i dont know what do do for her.

Answer
Hi Bonnie:

I'm so happy that you got adrenal surgery for Desse!  Be assured that it is the only cure for adrenal cancer and you should have at least several to many more years of good times with your little one :-) You will be surprised - she will probably be back in her normal cage in about a week, but be sure her incision is healed first, okay?  It's also a good idea to allow another gentle ferret to 'visit' her in her little cage. They are extremely concerned for one another when they are sick, and you will probably see the other ferret encourage Desse to lay down and snuggle to sleep. Just be sure you put in an older, slower ferret, not a baby that will drive her nuts. And these are 'visits' - not to be left in when you are not closeby watching to be sure they don't decide it would be a good idea to start picking stitches and see what's inside (just kidding, I hope! :-) My kids are extremely loving to each other when they are post-surgery or sick and just having another buddy in the cage MAY calm her down, AND you have the added bonus of extra body warmth for Desse to snuggle aqainst. MOST older ferrets will take to this 'nursing a buddy' well. Just watch carefully until you're sure it's helping calm Desse and making her lie down and rest - if not, take the other ferret out; try another one, or just be her snuggle-buddy yourself if she will lay on your stomach and sleep, that's wonderful. That's what my kids did a LOT when they were sick. Cover with a warm blankie and your hand on their back for secure feeling. These are all good, helpful things you can do for her.

After any surgery, it is important to keep a ferret separated in a small "hospital" cage that is designed to keep them from moving around a lot or climbing in any way until their stitches heal. (You probably already know this, but just in case, I will put it here for you.  There must be nothing to climb or pull up on - no hammock, single level cage with newspapers or puppy training pads cut and put in a corner of the cage instead of a litterbox - and changed OFTEN because you must keep Desse and her incision clean and their sore little tummies drag right across the dirtiest part of the litterbox..the place where they step up to get in. Litter is also a no-no because it can get lodged in the stitches until they have time to heal completely - usually a week to 10 days max.

I do think you've hit the nail on the head - you're a good ferret mom...Right now Desse is probably in pain if her surgery was within the last couple days. Your vet *SHOULD have given you pain meds for her. This is where it's important for us to speak for the little ones who cannot speak for themselves...INSIST ON PAIN MEDS FOR HER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  Please call the vet and tell her the ferret needs something for pain IMMEDIATELY - that she is chewing the bars and showing signs of pain and distress. In the future, don't leave the office without a prescription and the address of a compounding pharmacy to fill the Rx.  

In past years, pain was not considered in animals post-surgically, however research galore PROVES that ALL ferrets (and other animals) DO feel pain just as we do after surgeries and the new thinking in veterinary medicine is to medicate that pain so the pet can heal faster. Less pain makes a relaxed patient who heals faster with less complications.   A pain medicine will also make Desse a little drowsy and make her more likely to laze around, which is what you want her to do for probably a week at least. Have a nice soft bed of soft cloth (maybe a pair of your pajamas with your smell on them..the ones you've worn recently, so she feels you close to her) that she can lay comfortably in.  Keep her warmer than usual, so that means in a warm part of the house and at LEAST flannel if not sweats (in addition to maybe a fleece blankie if it's cold where you are) in the cage with her.

In the meantime, you can gently but firmly wrap a cloth or hand towel  around her tummy for support, being careful not to disturb her stitches, then wrap a blankie around her whole body very snugly so she feels secure and  hold her as long as she will lay still in your arms.  That should comfort her. If that does not calm her down, she is DEFINITELY in bad pain.  She just doesn't understand all that has happened, why her tummy hurts and why she can't be in her regular house!  I would be biting the cage bars too!  Your calming words and gentle touch will help comfort her more than you know until she can get some pain relief and relax.

DO call the vet - the weekend is here. If you can call your vet and have them call a LIQUID prescription (NOT a pill - they can choke and inhale it into their lungs...that happened to the first ferret I gave a pill to and I refuse to give pills to ferrets every since - it just doesn't work - they NEED a flavored liquid) in to a "compounding pharmacy" (they will custom make it into a liquid that will taste good and Desse will be more likely to take -that's their specialty). If you get a choice in flavors for the medicine to be compounded, my kinds like bubblegum or grape or pina colada the best. That's a good place to try. You will find a compounding pharmacy to be a ferret owner's best friend whenever your ferret needs medications. If Desse hates the flavor you get (doesn't usually happen if you get the "normal" ferret flavors), it shouldn't be hard to trade for another flavor. I've never heard of that happening, tho, so presevere and hope the meds will calm her down.   Usually, if you put the eyedropper into the SIDE of the ferret's mouth while scruffing her (holding her by the back of her neck firmly and resting on your lap so it doesn't pull her tummy stitches), they will usually take them.  

Another thing you can do if she doesn't like the medicine is have a bottle of Ferretone handy (from any pet store, some grocery stores or anyplace that has pet products) - as soon as the medication has been dribbled into the SIDE of her mouth, quickly grab the Ferretone and hold it up by her nose so she can smell it, then start dribbling a few drops (with a dropper if you have one) and she will quickly forget the nasty taste of the medicine.

I hope you will be able to get meds for her soon. She needs to relax to heal properly. Right now she is frantically trying to understand, and probably in pain and that's just not good for anyone who has just had surgery.  Be persistent with your vet - or contact a 24 hr vet service and let them know the problem and they will fix you up with pain meds yet tonight.

Hope that helps. If I can help in any way, don't hesitate to write again. I hope Desse heals quickly and a little more relaxed than she currently is.  Please give her some gentle hugs and snuggles until she gets the pain meds. She needs reassurance and comfort from you, but she really needs medication. Put both together, and you will have a successful and uneventful recovery!

ALSO IMPORTANT:  Watch Desse DAILY  to see that she is eating regularly. If she is not, you can get chicken (meat only) baby food or you can get Hill's A/D Feline from your vet (they use it to feed sick and/or animals that aren't eating to help get their appetite back up).  You MUST stay on top of this. She needs to be taking in LOTS of fluids in any way you can encourage her - I don't usually recommend sweets, but a little watered down apple juice (warmed a bit - don't give her anything cold. She needs everything warmed while sick).  Don't let even one day go by without her eating and drinking.  This means COUNTING the kibble pieces of food in her cage daily and checking several times a day to be sure they are disappearing and how many are disappearing. Same with her water intake. Ferrets seem to be more likely to drink water out of a bowl than a drip bottle, so try that if she's not drinking - offer her water on your finger to get her started if you need to.

The secret to a successful recovery after surgery in ferrets lies in:  1.keeping a ferret out of pain, 2..keep them warmer than usual, 3....close to loved ones and lots of attention, 4....a comfy place to sleep and 5....a nice clean place to potty AND.....6..and MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL - LOTS of FLUIDS and at least some FOOD as tolerated.  You can even get some baby food, warm it to where it feels warm, but not hot - just as you would a baby, then offering it to her on your finger.  You may have to push a bit of it into the side of her mouth to begin with until she gets a few good tastes of it and takes it on her own. Don't give up on getting some down her. Thin it down a bit and try offering it to her on a small plate or little bowl while you are holding her, dipping your finger in and offering it to her, etc.  IMPORTANT: The more food and fluids you get into her, the quicker she will recover.

Also, you MUST check her daily for dehydration. While scruffing her neck and her feet resting on your lap as not to pull her stitches, just notice when you let go of the skin on the back of her neck, does it snap right back down, or does it stay kind of up?  If it stays up, she is dehydrated and needs to go IMMEDIATELY to get some subQ (under the skin) fluids - this will speed her healing immensely and when ignored or delayed even a short time, it has been the death of many ferrets. If the skin snaps right back down flat and she is eating and drinking, just continue to monitor. This is a very important part of her recovery. A little extra attention while giving some baby food chicken OR Hill's A/D Feline on your finger will help her more than you know.(mix with a little water because it's pretty thick and will make them gag. They are liklier to take it if it's a bit thinned with water, and it's also a great way to get some extra fluis into her, which is really important to her recovery.

I apologize for the super long post. Also I changed the name of the post so that just in case another ferret owner has a ferret post surgery, they can benefit from the advice here too, so I hope that's okay.  This is really important stuff - your ferret's life depends on it and you just spent a LOT of money on her, not to mention that you obviously love her and want the best for her. For that reason, I've been as thorough as possible for you and addressed a LOT of issues.  There's a lot of information here - but it's all important to Desse's well-being.  Best of luck - give that little girl lots of firm, but gentle (secure) holding, snuggles and gentle hugs (IF it relaxes and calms her) and let me know how she does in a few days, okay? Don't hesitate to write again if there is anything at all I've missed. The goal is to get that little one back on her feet and dancing ferret dances again! :-)

My thoughts and prayers are with your little girl.

sincerely,
jacquie rodgers