From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-03-20 20:48:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Spayed? Any helpful hints?
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Petersen <petersen@i...> wrote:
> We recently took in a stray female ferret. She seems to be young,
judging
> by her teeth, and she has no tattoos. Any easy ways to tell
whether or not
> she has been spayed? Or should we just wait for a month or two to
see if
> she goes into heat? We recently had another female in the shelter
go into
> heat (one we thought was fixed), so I guess it's that time of year.
Dear Sara:
I wish that I could tell you that I have no trouble telling whether a
ferret had been spayed and all I would have to do is to shave the
abdomen and look for a scar and...Oh, never mind.
We have all been fooled. Ferrets spayed at 6 weeks or less usually
present with no scars we can tell - can't feel 'em, can't see 'em.
Watch the vulva closely, and watch the ferret as well. If you even
get a whiff she might be anemic - take her to your vet for a CBC as
quickly as possible. We don't want her to be one of the ferrets that
falls through the cracks.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
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