Hi X,
I am not sure why your vet mentioned getting blood from the ferret's eye.
That is done only for lab rodents.  In ferrets you can get blood from the
jugular vein in the neck (ie. just like a cat or dog) or from the ant.
vena cava (ie just like pot-belly pigs).  The book Ferrets, Rabbits, and
Rodents by Hillyer and Quesenberry is an excellant book.  There is a good
description of how to get blood, complete with pictures.
 
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM
 ---
 
Yes, Dr Fox is a lab animal veterinarian.  I do not see any mention of
blood collection from the orbital venous plexus or sinuses in his second
edition, but he did include it in his first edition (1988).  There is also
a small description in Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents in the small rodents
section.  This is a common technique for lab rodents, but I would not
recommend it for pet ferrets!  I also would not recommend using ketamine
to sedate for blood sampling.  Use SEVO or ISO to mask the ferret down.
They will wake up very quickly, and it is much safer than ketamine.
 
Hope that clears up the confusion,
Jerry Murray, DVM
 
[Sukie note: for jugular sticks we hold the ferrets and give them
Ferretone from a small bottle and most don't act like they mind the stick
then, though even those uncaring ones do sometimes object to the alcohol
swab that comes before it.]
[Posted in FML issue 3738]