From:
Melissa Litwicki
Date: 2002-10-06 13:32:01 UTC
Subject: splenectomy recovery - pain?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <Pine.BSO.4.44.0210060923090.6558-100000@naughty.monkey.org>
Hello,
I wrote a few days ago about Puff with questions about her recent
splenectomy. Her surgery was Thursday, and she's still indicating to me
that she is in a great deal of pain as of Sunday morning. She grinds her
teeth constantly, shivers, and when she is removed from her recovery cage
she hurries around her room from place to place with that staring,
slightly panicked look that I've come to associate with trying to 'escape
from pain'.
Except for about three minutes a day, she's confined to a small cage that
is big enough for bedding, a low litterbox, food, and water. I feed her
about 1/8 tsp of a canned cat food gruel about 4x a day, and she's
nibbling on her kibble as well. She's being weaned off pred (currently at
.01ml 2x/day) and occasionally stretches her abdomen simply while trying
to get around/see if the cage is open. However, what typically happens
when I feed her is that she eats a tiny amount, starts grinding her teeth,
and struggles to get out of the cage in a mild panic.
I will also call the vet today when they open, but I was wondering if this
is relatively common for an older ferret with such a major surgery. Most
of my other surgeries have not been as drastic as a splenectomy, and the
ferrets have been younger. Puff is currently 6.
Any comments?
Thanks,
Melissa