Dear friends,
Some of you may remember my ferret Conan, who lost an eye in @ June of
1997.  He developed a salivary mucocele after that surgery that secreted a
thick, viscous fluid into his head and cheek and the eye socket..  For over
a year, I treated him by having it drained @ once a month,.  The fluid was
tested many times & found to be mainly saliva, and his general health was
fine.  He didn't show any signs of pain, although he wanted more skritches
as the month went by & the swelling increased.
 
The treatment options were limited: to try to install a permanent drain in
his face, leaving him very vulnerable to infection, to continue draining
his poor head every month, a procedure he tolerated well, or to submit him
to chancy surgery to remove the salivary gland and essentially excavate any
remaining microscopic secretory tissue left in the eye socket.  My choice
was to keep draining him, as I always prefer a moderate course of treatment
if at all possible.
 
This fall, the secretions increased to the point where I drained him almost
weekly, at times removing as much as 20ccs of this fluid.  (I say I did it,
but of course my wonderful vets at Temple Terrace Bird & Animal Hospital
did it for him).  I was in Ga, visiting Jackie at the Dook Nook when the
rapid accumulation became too much.  That was in early October.  I took him
to Dr Bink in Savannah, who tried to insert the drain, which was a good
idea, but didn't work.  I took him to see Dr Rossi in Jacksonville, who
tried to excavate the socket and cavity.  He managed to find & remove some
lachrymal tissue, but the speed of the discharge only increased.  Both
these doctors really felt that I needed to find a highly skilled surgeon to
remove the salivary gland, but I kept hoping these palliative measures
would work.
 
The salivary glands that needed to be removed lay behind a major nerve to
the facial muscles and therefore the surgery would be extremely delicate.
Neither these two excellent vets, or Conan's own personal doctor (Dr
Welborn) wanted to attempt the surgery, so I was mulling all this over
throughout November.  Nov.  23, the 'bump' on Conan's head 'blew' -
essentially it popped open from the pressure of the fluid inside, much as a
boil or cyst would.  I had him treated at the Emergency Vet's, and then Dr
Welborn strongly advised me to have the salivary gland removed - to just do
it!  He recommended Dr Bennett at the UF Vet Teaching Hospital.  I
consulted with Dr Kemmerer from Gainesville at great length on the choice
of surgeons, since, of course, she would be my first choice for so highly
technical a procedure.  She was willing to do it, and very concerned that
it be done quickly, but recommended Dr Bennet as well.
 
I made the appointment for Dec 15th for the consultation.  While waiting,
Conan went into a decline, went from 2.6 lb. to @ 1lb, and had to be force
fed duck soup.  I may never know what caused that spell he had, since Dr
Simon at TTB&A Hosp ran every conceivable test on him, but he spent a day &
night at the Hospital under the care of Russ (who hand fed the boy!), and
came out ravenous & close to his old self.  He 'blew' twice more before I
got him to Bennet for the surgery, but we made it yesterday, and he weighed
2.1 lb..
 
I am overjoyed to report that the surgery to remove the salivary glands
went very, very well.  Dr Bennett & Dr Pye reported to me today that the
salivary glands were removed cleanly, that there was some minor infection
in the eye socket that they're treating with an antibiotic bead, that he
was sleeping, pooping and peeing normally, and that there is every reason
to believe the seepage will stop.
 
I can only barely express how grateful I am to my vet here & the excellent
staff, all the way from Tish who once chased Conan into a neighboring yard
by scaling a six foot fence to Cassie and Russ who gave him such gentle and
affectionate care.  Even the office staff always get him in to be seen -
they've been incredible.  Drs.  Welborn, Marusak & Simon have been
consistently thoughtful, frank & concerned.  Drs.  Rossi & Bink treated him
like a member of their own practices, even though we were far from home.
Dr K spent two days playing phone tag with me till we could connect and
talk about the case - as always, her advice straightforward, caring, and
professional.  Jackie's love for Conan left me never alone in my struggles
and fears for him.  Dr Bennett - well, there are no words adequate to tell
how grateful I am.
 
We have so much bad news, we ferret lovers.  Every so often, a loving
community of ferret people manage to create a miracle.  My beautiful Conan
the Large, scarred head-bone and all, is such a miracle.  His story reminds
me that we must never give up, never stop loving them ,and never stop
hoping.  Because of the skill and love of ferret people and doctors from
Savannah to Tampa, Conan the Large will be home this weekend to establish
his alpha status over his eleven ferret brothers and sisters, his 2 cats,
and his dog - as well as his devoted mom.
 
Ferret kisses to you all,
Paula
[Posted in FML issue 2527]