Just a short story...
 
I attended a ferret show in NJ last Summer.  A woman had a nice 6 year old
female with really nasty teeth.  I suggested she get her vet to clean them.
She told me that her vet did not want to put the ferret under gas to clean
the teeth.  I said the bacteria buildup will do harm if something is not
done.  So I asked her if I could clean the teeth for her.  She said
wonderful - her vet would not touch the ferret unless it was under.
 
I scruffed the ferret, placed her on my knee, and took my scaler and tested
all the teeth for any loose ones.  Then I placed the scaler to the top of
her gum line and pulled down.  Off popped a wad of tarter.  I repeated this
on about four teeth, and had her cleaned up in no time.  Yes, the gums bled
a bit, and the ferret squirmed, but her teeth were now white, and a lot of
that nasty bacteria bed was gone.
 
If you don't like the first diagnosis, seek a second opinion.  What might be
impossible to one person might be routine to another.  I see over 150
ferrets a year through my shelter - I scale their teeth.  What ferrets won't
let me go to the vet.  I even had a well known ferret vet in Woodbridge once
tell me he didn't know how to pull teeth in ferrets - I had a ferret who was
abscessing - I told him that if he would just knock out the ferret, I'll
show him which teeth were bad and they would come out pretty easily if he
would just pull...  we took out three teeth that afternoon.
 
Pam
[Posted in FML issue 1457]