Folks,
Thought I'd reply to a few things before leaving for Florida.  As I'm now
(finally!) caught up, I will try to be more active in the coming months.
 
Mary,
 
>... Seems like a lot of health questions being asked and I have one too.
>Giesela has been squinting one eye for the past couple of days.  She also
>seems seems to wake up slower, shiver longer and sleep more (actually her
>energy level seems to be on a slow decline over the past several months, I
>took her in to discuss this as well but otherwise she seems healthy - she'll
>be three in the April/May time frame).
 
I would definitely do a full work-up with blood work on your little one.
Freya had the same slow decline as her insulinoma grew, and I've seen the
same thing in other ferrets with various cancers.  It might be worth an
xray, too, as heart disease can cause the same signs.
 
Kelly,
 
>... I'm considering getting him descented..what are the affects risks and
>what are the long terms affects of this procedure?  Is there anything I
>need to be worried about sometime down the road if I do decide to get him
>descented?
 
The first thing you need to do is have him see a veterinarian.  He/she will
be able to determine if there is a physical reason for all the poofing.
Have you recently added a new food or treat?  This could be related to diet,
especially if his stools have changed.
 
The risks of surgery include death from anesthesia reaction (rare),
incontinence, either temperary or permanent, from the procedure (possible)
and small retained pieces of the glands that can lead to
infection/abscess/problems down the line (pretty common from what I've
read).  I have actually done the procedure, which is quite simple in a
healthy ferret, but I know longer will do it as an elective procedure for I
don't feel it helps the ferret in the long term.  See how your veterinarian
feels about this.
 
Tatia,
 
Excellent answer on scratching ferrets!!
 
>From:    FERRETAILS <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: White Spot in back of ferrets throat.
>A week ago or so I saw it posted that someone was asking about a white spot
>in back of his ferret throat...
>Well now I am interested in also knowing if this is serious, because I have
>discovered a white spot in the back of my male 1 year old ferret.        f
 
Definitely see your vet.  Just so you know, white spots on the back of the
throat usually are a sign of infection (thrush or strep, etc).  As long as
he is eating, I wouldn't be too worried, but your vet may want to culture
the area and put Cinnamon Bear on antibiotics.
 
-Dr. Karen
[Posted in FML issue 2198]