Must make a comment on this too.
 
It's all well and good to say that one needs to find an experienced vet.
People should.  But it's not always possible.
 
Not everyone lives in an area that is just littered with vets.  Not
everyone is able to drive long distances to an experienced vet.  There are
lots of reasons why a person may not be able to find a ferret experienced
vet.  *Especially* in areas where ferrets are not a common pet.
 
Please remember that saying that someone has to have an experienced ferret
vet can, aside from hopefully urging someone to find the best care they
can, have these effects:
 
alienate those who CANNOT find an experienced ferret vet.
 
Drive people to see a vet who *claims* to have ferret experience, but
really doesn't.
 
Deny a good vet the opportunity and reason to *learn*, and eventually
become a good experienced ferret vet.  In fact, this is *how* experienced
ferret vets come about...someone brought their ferrets to them and they
became interested in the critters.
 
I fall into all three categories.  I live in a rural area.  It's an average
of an hour drive between vet offices.  Somewhat less now in the new town
we've moved to, and ferrets are not common pets, and are not generally
cared for.  I took two ferrets to an "experienced" vet.  One died of what I
believe was juvenile lymphosarcoma, I was treated like I was nuts and they
did not even honor my request for j.l.  to be checked for on the necropsy.
They stood by their diagnosis of heart failure though there was no evidence
that was the problem.  I was also told to treat my insulinomic ferret 3x
a day with a 50% dextrose solution.  That ferret (I did not follow said
treatment), started a little occasional cough that made me afraid of heart
trouble.  All the vets around were full except one.  She had given a few
shots, but had never treated ferrets before mine.  But she did everything
she could to learn about them, she trusted my judgement and knowledge of
them, she read the materials I gave her, she was always more honest with
me than she needed to be, and she did everything she possibly could to give
my ferrets the best care that she could.
 
DON'T abandon a good vet who is willing to learn.  If you are lucky enough
to have a truely experienced ferret vet nearby, but also have a good vet,
see if the experienced vet will be willing to work with the other if there
are questions or doubts about things.
 
I'm going to have to train in another vet now, my gem is now about a two
hour drive one way.  And the vet in the area who claims to have ferret
experience has one in his office...in a hamster cage on pine bedding,
didn't know what the proper vaccines were, and did not seem to care.
Fortunately there is one other who shows more promise.
 
Sue
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[Posted in FML issue 3183]