From:
"Zoo"
Date: 2010-04-18 13:57:22 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] scruffing ferret to give fluids
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
My hubby has said I should assume nothing, when making these posts. Someone might think we just stab the ferret with the syringe!
Yes, we do scruff, when giving fluids--and do give the fluids in the scruff... After squirting some of the fluids in the syringe on our wrists to check the temperature, we do scruff to administer. However, the hold is different than the scruff we use, when clipping nails etc. When scruffing to give fluids,(I am right-handed) we hold the ferret in the left hand, THUMB DOWN, rather than thumb up. In this way, you are not interfering with yourself, and you will have more control when giving the injection. We use a nice, steady pressure, when plunging.
We have not used a butterfly & line here for 11 years. We use the syringe method. The ferret will tolerate 20 seconds or so of restraint, but after that, it gets antsy!!!
Most ferrets go limp when scruffed, and seem unaware that the fluids are even being given.Unless you hit a blood vessel, there won`t even be any blood! (We have done this on two or three occasions, and two or three drops of diluted blood were all we saw.)
If the ferret is very dehydrated, the nice large bubble in the scruff will absorb quickly (10-15 minutes.)Otherwise, maybe 30-45 minutes to absorb. (Our general rule of thumb is 25cc`s for a little ferret & 35 cc`s for a bigger ferret.) Often, a ferret is willing to eat within minutes of receiving fluids--and is happy walking around the room, or even playing!!
At this point, I just lay most of them across my lap,(scruffed) when giving fluids--but it did take some practice LOL.
OH. A funny story--- When our vet first showed me how to do this, I returned to him, complaining about the "defective box of syringes" I had gotten. I pushed & pushed, and the fluids weren`t discharging into the scruff. When I plunged really hard, the syringes were "exploding" and I had fluids in my hair, on my face, & all over the wall!!! Dr. X tried to control the smirk & laugh, as he explained that I was injecting into the wrong layer. "Go a bit deeper, or back out just a little" he said. It never happened again. (So if you get resistance, back out slightly, or go slightly deeper. You will get a feel for it, very quickly.)You`re shooting for just under the skin.
Hope this helps.
Love, Zoo
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