From:
"Tony Clarke"
Date: 2008-12-24 23:25:22 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Anal scent glands
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
About 3 weeks ago I began to see very slight changes in the behaviour
of my 21/2 yo Suki. She began to seem more lethargic then her normal
self and sleeping more, she also seemed to be getting very rotund. At
first I thought that this was normal for the time of year and she
certainly had a good appetite as always.
About a week ago I noticed that she was not as agile as normal (a
champion jumper and climber) and seeemed clumsy when going upstairs.
She appeared itchy and distracted, she is normally dedicated to the
ferret task in hand but she would break of whatever she was doing to
go into a self grooming frenzy for a minute or so. I examined her all
over but couldn't feel any lumps or bumps and all lymphe nodes seemed
normal.
On Monday I saw a flash of pink skin between her back legs as she
rolled over, I picked her up and saw that her anus was swollen I
gently prodded it from the side and everything moved as one, as
though the whole area was solid (hard to explain exactly) and it
seemed like a circle around her anus was very firm. I also checked
the litter tray and saw some very seedy looking poop (not properly
formed).I searched the archives for any ideas and only found one
reference to impacted anal glands. I was pretty sure that was what it
was and rang the vet but couldn't get an app with ferret man I trust
until Wednesday (Christmas eve).
Saw the vet, explained her signs and symptoms and what I thought it
might be and he said he had never seen a case of ferret anal gland
problems before. Anyway he gave a little squeeze in the right place
and was rewarded with a slight pop and a teaspoon full of yellow
smelly goo.
Does anyone have any experience with this, is it likely to occur
again. Is there a connection between soft poop and anal glands not
getting expressed naturally (I believe this is a problem with cats
and dogs connected to modern foods not providing a solid stool so
that anal glands don't get squeezed from the inside and expressing
naturally.
Tony.
My home is ferret proof - my heart is not.
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