Message Number: YG14289 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Roger Vaughn
Date: 2002-06-28 14:20:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Post-surgical pain relief? Vets?

> I hate to see her suffer. Isn't there anything that I can get from
> my vet to help lessen her pain? I know typical OTC human pain
> relievers are no-no's.

According to my vet (I just asked about this following Lancelot's
surgery) oral pain meds are a) not terribly effective in ferrets and b)
difficult to get in small enough doses for their body mass.

Perhaps you can ask your vet for some injectibles, or have him or her
give periodic injections for you?

In the "Essentials of Ferrets" book, Dr. Purcell recommends "opioid
agonist-antagonist drugs such as buprenorphine and butorphanol" for
post-op pain control. I know Lance had a butorphanol injectible
following his recent surgery, and I occasionally give a small oral dose
to one of my cats for bladder pain. Just a tiny dose - a quarter
tablet - makes my 20+ lb cat VERY happy. I agree with my vet - I don't
see how you are going to divide that little tablet down to ferret
size. (1/40 of a tablet?)

Roger & the Fibonacci Ferts

[Warp's Turbuterol dose was about 1/16th of a tablet orally twice a day and it was very effective, but it has a self-sealing effect which means that the body uses what it needs and gets rid of the rest so we didn't need to be exact-exact. Fortunately, those particular tablets do cut well with a razor blade, scapel, or very sharp and thin knife. Each cutting I laid out out 4 groups of four pieces of plastic wrap each, and first divided into quarters, then divide each quarter into further quarters.

Warp was small, but she was also very ill and known to be actively dying, so I do NOT know what the appropriate dose would be for any other ferret, nor do I know the mg level of each tablet. -- Sukie]