Something very strange happened last night and it really scared me.  I gave
the little stinkbutts a bath in the sink like I do every other Saturday.  I
made sure the water temperature was warm and that the house was warm as
well.  I put Charity through the wash cycle, rinse cycle, and the fluff dry
(a nice warm towel).  Charity always squiggles and struggles like crazy when
I towel dry her because she hates it but I make her tolerate it because I
don't think it's good for her to run around soaking wet --she could catch a
cold.  When I sprayed on the condioner, she really jumped and started to
squirm around!  I know she doesn't like it because she usually squirms but
this time was she was REALLY upset.  So, I put her down and let her run
around to dry off some more.  That is when I noticed her irregular and
erratic breathing.  She would walk a few steps, then stop and stand real
still while breathing really fast.  I tried to comfort her but she was
simply out of hand and I couldn't hang on to her.  Finally, I wrapped her in
a towel and held her against her will so that I could try to figure out what
was wrong.  She eventually settled down enough for me to hold her and put in
an emergency call to the vet at the same time.  As I waited for the vet to
call back, Charity started walking around and her breating started to slow.
She did return to normal but not before she scared me silly.
 
When the vet called, I described the symptoms to him.  Her nose, gums, and
tongue were pink, there was no blue anywhere.  Her nose was cold, so no
fever.  He said she either started to hyperventilate or else she went into
shock.  He said just to keep watching the color of her gums and tongue and
to keep an eye on the breathing.
 
Well, today she is just fine --running around like usual and begging for
treats.  Can anyone out there explain this odd behavior?  Could I have done
something wrong to send her into shock?  How can I prevent this from
happening again?  If it does happen, what is the best think to do for her?
 
Any and all suggestions are always appreciated.  :)
Julie and The Fuzz Factory --Misty and Charity
In Loving Memory of Sobriety.
Your Ferret Friends,
Julie and The Fuzz Factory --Misty and Charity
In Loving Memory of Sobriety.
[Posted in FML issue 1489]