It's been a long and nerve-wracking day for me. Allow me a brief
introduction. I was first introduced to the joys of owning a ferret 20
some years ago, back when there were still arguments about what kind of
shots, etc etc etc. As luck would have it, I was allergic to my little
guy. I painstakingly found a good home with a breeder for him, where I
hear he became quite the young stud.
Being that I am also allergic to cats, and keep 5 of the critters.. I now
get weekly shots. So what's one more tiny allergen on top of all the rest?
And so I took the plunge again and bought a wonderful little guy (may he
rest in peace) after Christmas. Yes, he died. Very suddenly. No warning.
We buried him instead of having an autopsy though.
His death left such an empty void in my heart.. And so I entered the joys
of ferret owning again.. only better armed this time, thanks to the FML and
the Ferret FAQ's online. (Thanks to all the kind folks who provide this
service.)
Monty joined our family on April 17, 1996. A bouncing baby boy. Enter
Sylvia on May 4, 1996. Both are Marshall Farms ferrets, and both were 6 - 7
weeks when I bought them.. which puts Sylvia around 12 weeks now, weighing
in today at 1.2 pounds. :)
When my husband went for the evening ferret time last night, little Sylvia
was limping. Her tiny front leg dragging along as she moved about.
Undaunted, she still wanted to play. This morning, I took her into the
vet's. X-rays showed that she had fractured both of those tiny little bones
above the paw.
The vet said he would need to put her to sleep ( gas would be the easiest
for her) long enough to splint her leg. He called a short while back to say
she was ready to come home. :) :) :)
So far, she seems to be tolerating the splint well. He is hoping to get
three weeks from this splint. I've set her in a separate, single story cage
for the time being. I know Monty misses her already. I have Bitter Apple
handy in the event she decides to start gnawing on the splint.
I would love to hear from any of you that have had the experience of having
a little fuzzie splinted. Advice for keeping her calm would be GREATLY
appreciated. She really wants to play.
Do these kinds of fractures heal well? We have no idea what happened.
Monty and Sylvia have a ferret cage from Midwest.. mostly plastic, not wire
mesh. I keep the bottom lined with old flannel nightgowns and I use
Yesterday's News for litter ( keeps the sneezing down when the little
fuzzies decide to go digging.) I have three different hammocks and sleep
sacks hanging around for sleep and play. We can only think either she got
caught up somehow and pulled too hard.. or possibly fell from an upper
level.
And how can I keep Monty consoled through the recovery period? When we
first bought Sylvia, I introduced them slowly. When she was away, he
literally seemed to pine for her. Her absence will upset him I am sure.
The vet anticipates 5 - 6 weeks of keeping her activity level on the quiet
side.
*sigh* You know.. I knew Sylvia would be a handful. She's so inquisitive
and eager to get into everything. Something tells me this is but the first
of several trips to the vet for her. The splint is a very pretty shade of
hot pink though. :)
I just hope my nails can survive this all. I was terribly worried about the
anesthesia part.. she's only a baby. I'm just delighted that she is
allright and thankful for all of you for the insight and help this mailing
provides. I guess even a ferret proofed house is still not assurance of
injury.
Trish
Monty (Hey... it's lonely! Where is my Sylvieeeee????)
Sylvia ( Who drags her splint around in a most ladylike fashion)
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Susan "Trish" Ny ConFurence East 1996
11037 Henning Dr Nov 15, 16, 17
Chardon, Oh 44024-9796 Home Page: http://www.tigerden.com
216-285-2207 email: [log in to unmask]
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[Posted in FML issue 1585]
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