From:
Melissa
Date: 2004-03-25 13:51:32 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] infected anal sacks, antibiotics or surgery?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <23414511.1080232023825.JavaMail.nobody@strontium.smartgroups.com>
I am lucky enough to have an "anal gland specialist"
nearby -- she removes anal glands from
all kinds of animals (dogs, ferrets, cats, rabbits,
etc). Like you, I had a ferret that had anal glands
that repeatedly got impacted (swollen, painful, full
of pus). We did three rounds of expressing
(squeezing) the anal glands to remove the pus, and
antibiotics, over about 4 months.
At that time (last January) our primary vet
recommended removal of the glands, saying that there
might be something wrong with them. I went to the
specialist, and Brenna came through with flying
colors. Very little bruising, and I had to force her
to stay in her sick cage becase she kept trying to
leap off the furniture by the second day home. Of
course, she was on pain medication, but still. It
didn't seem to have much affect on her at all.
About five years ago, I had a very different
experience. My male ferret Mishka "poufed" his glands
constantly -- he was easily startled and would pouf
every time he heard a noise in an adjoining apartment.
Honestly, even after neutering, the smell was so bad
and so constant that sometimes I would walk in and my
eyes would water! So I had him descented and it was
*awful*!!!!
The vet cauterized the wounds so they would drain, and
for four days, every time Mishka would walk or go
potty or move, the scabs would break open and bleed!
I felt horrible because he must have been in
considerable pain.
So that's my story -- I guess the moral is to try to
find a specialist, if such a thing is possible. Many
very good ferret vets don't do many anal gland
removals, so it's important to find someone that does!
Best,
Melissa