From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-11-30 05:13:53 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: aggressive ferret, prozac dosage?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I'll tell about a few who were here, too.
Ruffle was handicapped with multiple deformities, some of
them painful, and was so seriously intellectually handicapped
that she could not even figure out ferret body language. For
three years our shins were bloody and bruised constantly
because she would go into sudden panics, dash at us, sink in
canines, pull, and run off. Then she one day realized that she
wasn't in any danger, that the sounds coming from our mouths
meant something, and that our behavior was predictable and
safe. The biting just stopped. She learned a few words (very
few compared to other ferrets for whom words are used in a
consistent and simple manner) and she began realizing when
she was getting too worked up. Then, instead of us giving her
times out she gave them to herself. She would turn her back
on the world, lay down and just give herself some time to calm
down. The last half of her life never had even a nip, even when
she needed surgery. She made it to 6 despite all of her major
medical problems from birth but it wasn't easy. It was loving,
though, and she learned complete trust.
Warp had been to two abusive households before she joined us.
We began to notice that her panics were associated with certain
things (Keeping detailed notes of what is going on helps because
some react to some scents, some to some sounds, etc.) First we
let her beat shoes to death. Someone must have kicked her
earlier, but we had trouble figuring out an even bigger trigger for
her at first: oilcloth clothing. Once we figured that out we just
tossed the rain jacket i had on the floor and let her go at it as
much as she wanted, as often as she wanted. Warpie got to live
a very long life and know that she was adored.
When Harley came to us we also let him beat up shoes. He was
rescued from a home for abused boys. We got him to the point
where he felt safe and loved, then we found that he bounded
most strongly with someone we knew so we let Harley join her
family. He needed that and at the time so did she. Harley lived
into his 8th year and for at least half of it he was a regular
animal visitor to nursing homes.
Meeteetse nipped me the first time i held her as a kit. She
looked miserable and her tail was broken. (The people in the
pet store had thrown her against a wall when she bit.) Steve and
I checked her over and immediately found that she had a badly
infected mouth. A kit canine had become trapped by the
emerging teeth and she was in a lot of pain. Right then and there
I had them give me a pair of forceps and was easily able to get
out the kit canine which was followed by an eruption of pus.
That little girl looked so startled, immediately kissed me, and
never bit again, even when we immediately took her to the vet
for follow-up care for her mouth. BTW, Meeteetse was famous.
She loved the voice of an NPR science reporter and whenever he
was on the radio she would dance and then climb to get up high
enough that she could kiss the speakers. When she got very
elderly and handicapped by her final illness she still wanted to
give his voice kisses so then we would hold her up to the speakers.
She was spoken of at least 4 times on National Public Radio,
including then giving her a wonderful obit, and remembering that
still brings tears to my eyes. She was the most famous member of
our family.
I can't recall who it was but another one who came her was insecure
about boundaries and seemed to be afraid she would be attacked. I
took to wearing a perfume that she didn't object to and marking
doorways with it. Finding that scent barriers had been set up greatly
reassured her.
Right now Steve and I have one who either don't understand that
some digging of us which she does hurts or is being something of a
bully child now and then when frustrated. We think it is the second.
She trusts us fully; this is the little girl whose early morning repair
surgery we participated in when a seroma caused her surgical incision
to give way and open, and when ill she behaved perfectly. She just
isn't the most patient soul in the ferret universe (yet).
There are a number of techniques, but the single most important
thing is to build trust. That is not always easy but it is worth it.
DO first look for sensory handicaps, medical problems that may
cause pain, and possible triggers. I recall one family where a relation
of the wife was always bitten UNTIL she stopped using her scented
skin lotion. That was the answer. Keeping notes helps uncover
triggers of which you may be unaware. Ferrets are very individual.
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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