From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-10-30 19:26:55 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: post-surgery question
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Use the one floor cage or a smaller room with nothing
that can be gotten under, climbed in to hide (unless
there is a really really easy way to get the ferret out
without tugging on the ferret like just lifting the
object but then it still would have to not be able to
be climbed), scraped against, or climbed. All of those
activities are dangerous.
ANY climbing is best avoided.
Some ferrets are very quiet after surgery and that makes
things easier, but in over a quarter century with ferrets
we have had some who are too active post-surgically. In
fact, we have had ones who needed specific pain meds not
just for pain control but because those particular meds in
the doses given would also slow down the ferret for the
ferret's own protection.
Words or phrases like
postsurgical or post-surgical
used in the "message body contains" box in the FHL Archives
at
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
should find you a number of useful past posts to help. On the
FHL recently I brought up an UNusual complication -- our first
time ever encountering it.
Forgive me for quoting myself from the past to save time:
I'll quote my earlier post here to help you:
1. Have your vet write down the specifics or write them down
yourself. [You would be amazed how many things are easily
forgotten if a person is worried or otherwise under the weather.]
If your vet wants you to do things you aren't used to doing ask
that a vet tech show you how before you leave and find out
where to get any equipment needed.
2. Keep a medical chart. It can be simple after a standard surgery,
or if you wind up at some point with a very complex situation it
can be over-the-top then. You will know then when meds, foods,
and fluids have been given and how much taken. It will help you
remember.
[THIS NEXT ONE WAS FOR SOMEONE WHOSE FERRET WAS GETTING
AN ADRENAL OUT, BUT ANTIBIOTICS AND PAIN MEDS AFTER SURGERY
MAKE SENSE.]
3. If you can't get medical care very rapidly if an emergency arises
have some broad-spectrum antibiotics handy even if the vet isn't
giving them this time, have at least one tablet of Fludrocort/Florinef
and some Pediapred in case the other adrenal doesn't functions
straight off.
[Note that some of those meds are specifically for after certain
adrenal surgeries.]
4. Have your vet's emergency number attached to your phone or
hung right by it.
[FIND OUT WHERE TO GO IF AN AFTER-HOURS EMERGENCY ARISES
AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THERE.]
5. Don't allow climbing for at least a week, preferably longer. Not
many ferrets are lost post-op but I have noticed that a large number
of the ones who die after a very standard surgery were climbing, even
if it was just cage ramps.
6. Do watch for stitch pulling. Not many do it, but some remove their
own stitches or those of others. Surgical glue over stitches helps
make that difficult to impossible.
[Later Note: if a seroma occurs then staples help keep all intact.]
7. Have newspaper, paper towels of something similar there for
bathroom use until the ferret is able to get into a low access litter
pot and then use a recycled newspaper litter during recovery.
8. Check incision at least once a day, preferably more often.
9. Expect some bruising which will resolve but if it gets to be too
much, esp. if the gums also get pale get vet care.
10. Sometimes after stitches come out there may be a missed stitch.
You'd be amazed at how many puzzling signs can sometimes
resolve just by removing a missed stitch.
11. Right after surgery body temp is prone to dropping; keep the
ferret warm enough. That actually is not hard to do with bedding
(sometimes with an assist) and doesn't require any fire-hazards
like some electric heating pads which pose cord-biting, overheating,
or covering risks.
12. Food and water are needed. Hydration is essential. If the skin
gets loose or the gums get tacky your animal is dehydrated. Food
is essential. After surgery it is often helpful to feed a/d or meat
baby food mixed with warmed water and to put a towel on your lap
and slowly offer the food to the ferret by finger or spoon while
speaking encouragingly or singing. Your vet may suggest that you
buy a tube of Nutrical. It is a supplement which also offers sugars.
Some times after surgery for anyone the strain can cause some
sugar drops to happen and this will help reduce the nausea and
dizziness that can cause.
[There is now also a repair food called Carnivore Care that many swear
by so if your vet carries that consider getting some.]
---
AND ANOTHER QUOTING (also mine)
With Mornie we had to use the pain meds for a different reason.
She was way too active -- to the point where she posed a risk
to herself -- so we had to slow her down with the Torb we had.
(We're an hour from the vet under good conditions during regular
hours.)
We've used both Torb and Metacam just like the others have.
Situations in which we personally prefer opiates like Torb: ones
with large amounts of pain (post surgically or with something like
lympho in the spine or spinal cord), ones where the animal needs
to be slowed down and also likley could use some pain control (Some
seem to get frustrated by the needed caging and pain combo.), ones
where we have to give sub-cu but the individual is especially difficult
to do.
Notes about opiates in general: if non-postsurgical, terminal ferrets
truly need it they tend to have minimal to no slowing down from the
opiate if the dose size is not too large. Postsurgically slowing them
down a little bit can be useful at times as long as its not too much.
You don't necessarily want to slow down one who is being helped to
cope with a terminal condition so sometimes it may be necessary to
talk with your vet till the dose size seems right. We've had ones who
weren't postsurgical on opiates for pain control when terminal and
have encountered increased activity simply because they felt so
much better. Oh, and we have never had one who showed any signs
of an addiction to the meds.
Hope I said that clearly enough.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
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