I am a vet. Tech student in Madison Wi. and i'm a lurker.  But yesterday
someone asked about small animal cpr.  And guess what I learned this
morning!  To give small animal CPR:
 
 1.  Place the animal on a flat surface.
 2.  Check for pulse
 3.  Check for respiration
 4.  If no respiration:
     a.  Pull tounge to front of mouth.
     b.  Cover nose
     c.  Exhale slowly in to the animals mouth  (witha ferret, I think it
         would be okay to close the mouth and breath into the nares)
     d.  Give 5 breaths watching for the rise and fall of the chest.  Make
         it normal breaths for the ferret, don't over expand the thoracic
         cavity!
 5.  If there is no heart beat, place your hand around the mid-section,
     right under his front legs with the thumb on one side and forefinger
     on the other, gently squeeze.  alternate breathing and squeezing, just
     like in a human.  if this goes on for more than 15 min.  irrepairable
     brain damage has occured and the animal will not regain consusness.
[Posted in FML issue 2083]