From:
P. Morrell
Date: 2001-03-11 15:22:00 UTC
Subject: [Ferret-Health-list] Re: More on dehydration
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the info. My ferret Cisco has adrenal carcinoma and
his skin always looks very wrinkled, pinch test varies
depending
on what part of the body I use. I checked his gums and they
are very moist so can I take that to mean he doesn't need SubQ
fluids?
Patty
----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Janke
To: Ferret-Health-list@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2001 6:13 AM
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Bruce Williams, DVM"
<williams@e...>
wrote:
> Due to the relative inelasticity of ferret skin, I have
always
> believed that the skin turgor test, which works very well
in dogs
> cats, is not a good test for the lower ranges of
dehydration in
> ferrets.
I've never liked the "pinch" test either as it left a lot
open to
interpretation for us layman.
So let me ask you how you feel about the "gum" test. I feel
the
ferret's gums. If they're moist and slippery, I assume good
hydration. If they are dry, dehydrated. I realize there's
no
percentages with this test. The ferrer is either determined
to be
dehydrated or not, so there's some room there too.
Mike