From:
"merylfaulkner"
Date: 2009-11-13 03:01:17 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Euthanized because of a hairball Fossa Update
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "MJB" <mary_jo_bright@...> wrote:
>
> I can't believe I killed my ferret for no real reason.
>
I think you are blaming yourself prematurely for something that may still have ended badly. Many years ago in the 1980's I had a female ferret who began grinding her teeth and was reluctant to eat.
I'd only had a few ferrets prior to her, and relied on local vets who were exotic vets, but perhaps not up on the ferret illnesses that may have been known about at that time. The first vet I consulted told me (when I said I suspected from reading that perhaps Stubby had a gastric ulcer) told me that ferrets just did not get gastric ulcers.
We tried various treatments to no avail. I then found a second vet closer to my home - a kind woman who said (when I explained I'd read up on the symptoms) that perhaps it might be an ulcer since nothing else seemed to fit. She suggested a barium meal and a radiograph to see if the ulcer would show up. The ferret was deteriorating by then.
The ferret did not want to swallow the barium suspension, and we force fed her - I held her, and I remember she struggled. She became limp and unresponsive. To the veterinarian's horror when she rushed to develop the radiograph, the stomach had ulcerated through and the barium suspension was all over the peritoneal cavity. Both of us felt dreadful. The veterinarian was upset. The ferret died within a few minutes. I have never forgotten it. I mentioned non-judgmentally to the first veterinarian (several years later) that the ferret had an ulcer after all, and she was very interested. I thought about it, and realized that veterinarians try to diagnose to the best of their ability, and that sometimes despite the best of intentions they and we cannot always diagnose what is wrong.If a veterinarian (or owner) beat themselves up about every misdiagnosis or unsuccessful surgery, they (and we) would never be able to learn and progress.
Even if you had somehow figured out the problem, and done the surgery, it could have been that the ferret would have died on the operating table. At least your ferret was euthanized, whereas poor Stubby had a more protracted and probably painful passing.I still remember her and wish I had somehow had pushed more for trying some ulcer therapy, but even so - maybe she would not have responded - and there may not have been much success with treatment in the 80's.
It's so hard when one feels something got missed. That's why the FHL is such a great site - information and communication so we can learn.
Meryl
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