From:
"April"
Date: 2007-04-08 15:54:27 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: sudden weight gain/risks of exploratories
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi. I have never had a ferret "not wake up" from an exploratory,
especially if they were "healthy" to begin with-the one I did have die
"on the table" survived the surgery just fine, but his quality of life
was terrible, and based on the tumor we found, we put him to sleep. I
have been in the OR when one ferret arrested on the table, but was
broguht back and is just fine to this day-the problem was not related
to the anesthesia.
Anesthetic death is actually not that common in any type of surgery
where the animal is not already severely compromised, and even then,
the greater risks come postoperatively generally (risks from
hypoxemia, hypothermia, etc). Most of the gas anesthesia used in
surgery is breathed off quickly, and this is why it is used; the body
expels it more easily than most injectable types of sedation,
etc.-some animals with compromised livers, etc have more trouble
expelling anesthetics from their systems, but the anesthesia itself is
not usually the reason any animal dies on the OR table. Close
monitoring and minimal necessary anesthetic depth during procedures
are crucial as well.
That being said, there IS an inherent risk any time you put an animal
under, and the decision as to whether or not to anesthetize an animal
is a very individual one, but to rule it out completely based on an
animal's age or health status (bad or good) without regard to
specifics is not the way to decide. Of course I'd always rather _not_
put my animal through the stress if it can be avoided, but sometimes
only going in and looking at everything will get you answers.
Bandit's horrible friable tumor that engulfed all his abdominal organs
appeared to be a liver mass on an ultrasound done by a very
experienced ultrasonographer who sees a lot of ferrets. (Would that
it was "just" a liver tumor!)
FYI!
-April (not a vet, but ferret owner for 8 years, veterinary surgery
tech for a boarded surgeon, and fosterer/rescuer/owner of several
ferrets in the last several years)
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, Debbie Hunton <reynapaubi@...> wrote:
>
> Which brings up the question for me... why do exploratory surgery if
the ferret is feeling fine? I know that if it is something operable
(like a blockage), it needs to be operated on, but reading emails here
and on the FML, exploratory surgery much more often goes the other way
- where they never wake up.
>
> I don't know... It's a dilemna I hope never to be in, but it is
something that I often wonder on - how many exploratories on
"otherwise healthy" ferrets (i.e. eating, drinking, pooping, peeing,
playing) end with the ferret crossing the rainbow bridge? Anyone
willing to share their personal experiences on this? Any vets or vet
techs willing to comment?
>
> Debbie
>
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