From:
ferretsonly@hotmail.com
Date: 2002-08-10 05:10:07 UTC
Subject: RE: ferret ACL/knee Surgery
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <20153659.1028956207438.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Dawn,
Schultz tore his ACL twice. The treatment was to stay off it for 2-3 weeks. My ferret-knowledgable vet said that when the area healed, it would form scar tissue which would help stabilize the joint. He was right. Schultz never had any more problems (the second time was caused when he viciously attacked a visiting ferret).
How do you keep a 3-4 year old ferret entertained but off the knee? First, I carried Schultz around a lot. He went for "carries" outside where I let him touch things like tree leaves and smell the plants and flowers. Inside the house, I put shredded paper in the bathtub to a depth of about 4 inches. I would put Schultz in the dry bathtub, flipping him on his back, and tickling his tummy. I hand-wrestled with him. I would flip another ferret on their back beside Schultz and gently restrain them, letting them mouth wrestle. I'd gently restrain him with one hand while he was on his back and dangle a cat toy in front of him. I got creative and used him as in inspiration.
He was never allowed in an area bigger than a standard cage and certainly without ramps. The bottom of the cage had lots of padding.
Schultz limped for several months but was fine for the remainder of his life. I seem to remember that he got some sort of pain relief or antiinflamatory but it's been a number of years since this happened.
-Carla