Todd & Andi,
>Avery was kicked pretty hard by mistake.  His nose was bright red, coudn't
>walk, breathing rapidly, abdomen painful.  He has an enormous spleen.  When
>we packed him up for the trip to the vet's he started to play and looked
>normal
 
This sounds like the wind was knocked out of him.  These are all normal
reactions to a hard blow to the abdomen.  You made a good point though; any
ferret with this type of injury could certainly have a ruptured spleen
(especially if the spleen is enlarged).  Signs of a ruptured spleen include
painful abdomen, extreme lethargy, pale gums (if you look at his/her gums
they should normally by pink, if they are light pink or white this is a sign
of blood loss or shock).  I'm happy to hear that Avery was so fortunate.
 
Dr Weiss
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301-299-4142
[Posted in FML issue 1349]