From:
Pam Sessoms
Date: 2004-12-13 00:12:57 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] ferret with string strangulation injury to leg
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <5c46b4a404121216126b61c9e7@mail.gmail.com>
> Anyone out there with experience with this type of injury and recovery? Pics
> of healing process would be helpful too. I am very concerned and worried.
> Its his right hind leg.
Toni, I have a ferret named Nana that suffered this type of injury,
but her owners were not as attentive as you. By the time they noticed
anything was wrong, her foot was well beyond saving. The toe pads
were black, the foot itself was dry and hard like wood, there were
tendons and bone exposed, and she had a pretty nasty infection in the
area above the dead foot. Her back legs were glued together with
ooze. I can't even begin to describe the stench. I have some
pictures of Nana that cover what happened. It took a couple of weeks
of wound care, meds, etc, before the time was right to amputate. Pics
and some of her story are here:
http://www.unc.edu/~pjdutche/nana/
Now, with an intact blood supply, I'd suspect that your Byron will be
just fine. You will probably have a lot of wound care, but it's
amazing how they can heal. Nana's injured leg was really in three
parts - hopelessly dead, infected and damaged but salvagable, and
healthy. The infected/damaged part healed tremendously well although
it took two or three weeks. We used a weak Hibiclens (clorhexidine)
solution on it a couple of times a day and worked on debriding it.
Oral antibiotics. When you see blood while working on it, this is a
GOOD sign because it means healthy tissue is granulating in.
Best of luck, keep the list posted,
-Pam S.