From:
amber.hughes@verizon.net
Date: 2002-08-20 00:04:08 UTC
Subject: RE: Exploratory Surgery
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <3414545.1029801848801.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Author wrote:
> My little girl is barely two and is having exploratory surgery to remove =
adrenal tumors soon. Is this a serious surgery or just a routine one? I d=
o not know what to look for or anything. Will I be able to keep her in her=
cage, will she be able to walk up the ramps? Will she eat her normal dry =
food or will I need to feed her a special diet and make sure she is eating =
every 3-4 hours? Will someone please help, I dont know anything about this=
sx except not to let her fast any longer than 3-4 hours contrary to what m=
y vet said to let her start fasting after midnight and she wasnt to be ther=
e until 8 in the morning!!!! Any info on this sx would be of great help.
> Thanks
Contrary to what your vet may say you're right. You don't want your ferret =
to go without food all night and then have to go through a 2hr. surgery the=
next morning. That's about 9 missed meals for a little one. =
Is your vet removing both adrenals or just one? The recovery time for one i=
s usually shorter, but can also lead to another surgery for the remaining a=
drenal gland. Does he use a cryo machine or just surgical removal? That a=
lso influnces how quickly your little one will recover. =
You'll want to keep her quite for a couple of days. A single level cage wi=
th no other occupants works best. Keep her regular food and water available=
. She may be fine to eat that, but you'll probably want to make up some du=
ck soup just encase she needs supplemental feedings. When making d.s. try t=
o keep it as bland as possible. This is what I use: 1c of everyday food s=
oaked in pedialyte until mushy, add 1tbsp nutri-cal, one small jar of gerbe=
r 2nd turkey or chicken with gravy baby food (do not get any containing veg=
gies.) and 1tbsp ferretone. Mush or blend until creamy (you don't want chu=
nks if you have to feed from a syringe) we use our fingers. You may want to=
try warming it sometime that help when feeding. Avoid using Ensure or simi=
lar products these dietary supplement are made for a human and tend to fill=
the ferret's stomach before providing adequate nutrition. You may want to=
put a heating pad on low or a wrapped hot water bottle in the cage. Ferre=
ts have a hard time raising there body temp. when they're healthly (thats w=
hy they shake when they first wake up from a nap.) This will help to mainta=
in a normal body temp. for a few days after the surgery. =
Hydration is another important part of her recovery. Check her hydration b=
y scruffing the skin between the shoulder blades. If it returns to normal p=
osition quickly then she is hydrated. If it stay puckered she needs fluids=
. We give unflavored pedialyte, sometimes in the water bottle, sometimes w=
ith a syringe. Dehydration can be very serious after surgery, and can slow =
down recovery. =
Good luck!
humans-Amber, Elizabeth
fuzzies-Abbey, Chet, Clarice
Bartley, Angelo, Bionca & Gunther =
=