From:
Karen Purcell, DVM
Date: 2001-07-04 08:29:00 UTC
Subject: Re: descenting
Sandy,
You wrote:
> I recently rescued a whole male who is approx. 2 yrs old. I took him to the=
> vet had him ADV tested, vaccinated and nuetered. My vet wanted to descent =
> him at the same time ? It is my understanding that descenting an adult fer=
> ret is dangerous and unnecessary. I've heard horror stories about adult fer=
> rets being descented. My vet said he never heard of such a thing. In any ca=
> se the new little fuzzy (Teddy) is doing well and is not descented. Does an=
> yone have any information on this subject that I could print out and give t=
> o my vet for future reference ?
In any surgery, there is a possibility of complications. In anal
gland removal, those complications can include incontinence, draining
tracts from retained tissue, infection, etc. I don't recommend
removing the scent glands (though I have been trained in the surgery)
unless there is a medical reason (and 3 of my 4 ferrets are not
descented).
I do have commentary in the book regarding descenting, if your vet
is interested.
Karen Purcell DVM
Author of Essentials of Ferrets: A Guide for Practitioners
drkaren@w...
Uxbridge, MA