Some things on your list can kill ferrets, Alex, so I figured that I'd
use your humorous post as a way to remind people about precautions.
I don't have a lot of time so forgive me for missed things; people can
use resources themselves, too, to learn more.
There are both prescription and over the counter human meds which
have killed members of carnivora. Always check with the treating
veterinarian and with
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/
or with
<http://support.mspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=poisoncontrolhotline_pagewrapperlanding>
A number of toothpastes these days contain Xylitol which is fatal for
them:
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.aspx
and that is also true for a number of other things including some sweet
lip glosses and some food items. Some other ingredients that can be in
human foods which can kill ferrets by poisoning them include currants,
raisins, grapes, macadamia nuts, dark chocolate, avocado, caffeine and
more. Again, read:
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.aspx
Some items can cause perforations or cut through the GI tract. Bones
can pose perforation problems especially to the esophagus (and also
lower down if they pass through the stomach too fast or to the stomach
itself if it is compromised as with an ulcer) and especially if the
meat and bones have been dry cooked which makes them more brittle,
and because of how the intestines wind and how intestinal peristalsis
(motion) works string, floss, and tree tinsel can cut through the
intestines -- like cutting a cheese cake with dental floss.
Other items can cause blockages and that list includes anything with
rubber or latex, hard food items, erasers, foil, anything that can't
digest really fast in a member of carnivora with skinny intestines.
Just a little more info to help save ferrets:
A number of cosmetics are poisonous, not just those with xylitol. Nail
polish and remover have killed ferrets. The gloves used with home hair
coloring and permanent products harden when exposed to stomach acid and
form scrolls of hard plastic which block and also tear (something I did
not know till someone here had that happen). Anti-aging creams and HRT
creams with estrogen can cause what appears to be heat or adrenal
disease in ferrets but is actually the effect of the creams (and also
pose risks to human children). I am sure there are other hazards.
A number of plants are also poisonous and when they are toxic to dogs
or to cats, or to both just assume that ferrets are at risk:
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/
See the cold weather hazards (and keep the lists of other hazards, too)
in http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/a-poison-safe-home.aspx
There are also lesser hazards. Among them: An Australian vet himself
had a terrible time clearing up an infection in a ferret of his who
ate potting soil, for example. That discussion is in the FHL Archives.
Not a common problem but a possibility and hard to treat.
Getting lucky does not mean that the next time won't be fatal and
accidents are best avoided.
So, jokes are jokes, and luck is a great thing when it occurs, but
they don't mean that precautions are not needed in REAL LIFE. Not all
readers might know people here well enough to sort jokes from reality.
Let's all start 2011 with reduced risk of ferrets dying from accidents
and make it a happier year.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump
off the cliff." (2010, Steve Crandall)
[Posted in FML 6928]
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