I have a question. Are there any vets out there that still do a heart
stick cold? As in without anesthesia? I never thought about this
before, because I thought no way would any one in their right mind do
something like that. At least not today. But am I hearing correctly
that some do? Quite honestly I've never heard of a vet doing this even
in the old days without ISO, or a sedation, etc..

Also, once upon a time I remember Alicia and others saying that some
vets did a type of gut stick. A needle right into the abdomen with
something. I was told to never go that route because it can go horribly
wrong. Do vets still do that?

I've had vets administer heart sticks a couple of times in the past,
but both times the ferret was either put under with gas (ISO) or
knocked out from an injection. I did not like it either way because
even with the ferret being knocked out, I felt "something" within the
ferret in my arms. Know what I mean? I was told that what I saw and
felt was just a reflex. I'm thinking to myself, I don't know about
that. Read up on everything they know about anesthesia today and how
people can be aware or feel things even under surgery. It is so much
more common than anyone ever thought.

Every vet I know now, tells me to give my baby a healthy dose of
Benedryl at home to relax them before I come in. Mine are dopey by the
time I walk through the office door with them. After being taken to a
quiet room, the vet gives the ferret a shot that is a high dose (nearly
OD'ing) of some sort of sedative. The needle is very tiny and the
ferret usually doesn't so much as flinch when it is injected because
we always make sure the baby is licking up ferretvite. I give implants
regularly, now that's a needle! And even then, most of the time, mine
barely flinch if they are really involved in eating ferretone or
something. It's quite amazing. Gross, but amazing. Anyway, at this
point, the ferret drifts off very slowly. Throughout the entire
process, I have lots of time to rock them, sing, talk, kiss and hug
them. The vet repeatedly slips silently in and out of the room to test
reflexes, etc. If the ferret still shows a slight blink reflex or
anything, she gives them another shot (which they don't feel). When
the ferret is ready, she finds a vein and gives the "stuff" (which I
don't know what it is). From the time my babies leave the home they
are in the process of "going to sleep".

Wolfy

[Posted in FML 6531]