From:
GRFerrets@aol.com
Date: 2001-05-04 03:40:00 UTC
Subject: Re: heat source after surgery
In a message dated 5/4/01 3:05:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
ifixrex2000@y... writes:
>I was wondering
> what the vets out there use as heat sources for ferrets immediately after
> surgery.My ferret had surgery and was put on a standard 'human' heating pad.
How awful for your ferret and for you!
I am a wildlife rehabber and we commonly use human heating pads. We set the
pad on "low" - NEVER any higher. The animal is placed on towels, in a box.
The box is set half on and half off the heating pad. This way the animal can
get off when it's too hot.
I would never consider using a human heating pad for an animal recovering
from anesthesia. No control there. For the vets, I would imagine many use
that hot water heating pad (I don't know the name). It circulates warm water
through a pad and never gets hot enough to burn. That's what my vet uses.
When I get home, if the animal is still pretty "out of it" (as is common
since I don't leave them overnight), I heat a rice pad in the microwave, wrap
it in the cover that came with it and put the ferret on top. I've never had
a problem. It isn't too hot to burn, and while the heat lasts a long time -
several hours - it is constantly cooling so there is little chance of a burn.
I hope that helps.
Kim