The Duck Household has been through hell week with the ferrets.  Earlier
this week, I noticed that Mollys' vulva had swollen somewhat.  She is
altered, so I knew this wasn't right.  I took her to the vet, and as she is
not terribly swollen (just mildly larger than normal), he wants to wait and
see.  He thinks she might be adjusting to the new season, and it will
probably go away in a week or two.  She has no other symptoms of any kind.
We'll watch her closely.
 
The next day, I took Pookie Bear, Mambo and Grace in for their yearly
check-up and shots.  Pookie has been "horfing up hairballs" lately caused
by his licking his belly so much that he has left bald spots on it.  The
vet checked him out and feels that his licking habit (which is fairly
recent) has been brought on by the addition of Grace to the household.  She
knocked him down a peg in the pecking order, and the vet feels it caused
stress.  He said to give laxatone for the furballs, and lots of extra
attention for the mental state.
 
He also loked at the lump Mambo has developed on his toe.  For now, we'll
just watch it.  He feels it's a small benign tumor.  It doesn't seem to
bother Mambo, and doesn't seem painful when touched.  Doc is concerned that
it could develop into something else, so we'll keep an eye on it and report
changes.
 
Then they all got their shots.  Mambo had a horrific reaction to the Fervac
D.  This is the 2nd time in 4 years that Mambo has had a life threatening
reaction to this vaccine.  He began to swell, and convulse.  His throat was
cut off by the swelling, and he could not breathe.  The vet gave him
epinephrine, and an antihistamine.  It was very touch and go.  The vet kept
him overnight, and watched him very carefully all night.  I picked him up
this morning, and he is very groggy, sore, and disorientated.  The vet says
he will never give this animal Fervac D again.  He feels that the
possibility of death from the Frevac far outweighs the possibility of
contracting distemper.
 
This is the 2nd time that Mambo has had a life threatening reaction to
Fervac.  Pookie has also had a problem with it (his anal sacs filled with
fluid, and he was very itchy).  A shot of Benadryl helped immediately.  Not
life threatening, but a reaction none the less.  Pinky has also had a
reaction.  She began to convulse, labored breathing and vomiting.  The odd
thing is that each of these ferrets has had the Fervac at other times with
no affect.
 
On to lighter topics.  Molly broke out of her cage last night (I need to
nail her tail to the floor :-))!)  I was awoken by a loud crash at 2:00 am.
She had climbed on top of the dresser and was knocking things off.  UGGHHH!!
 
This morning while I was in the shower, she got up there again and knocked
the bag of food over.  Mr.  Duck heard the crash (she also knocked other
things off the dresser including an iron (not hot), and went to see what was
going on.  Pookie was laying on the floor in the middle of what looked like
a cat food factory explosion, eating his way out.  Anything that he didn't
have to move to eat was fair game.  They are all back in the cage now taking
their morning nap.  Wouldn't it be great to be a ferret!!
 
I just checked on Mambo.  He is in his usual spot on my bed, wrapped in his
blankie, and sleeping peacefully.  He turned himself inside out as ferrets
so often do when I whispered his name.  The vet said he was up most of the
night, and will probably sleep alot over the next two days.  He was my first
ferret, and is really special to me.  I know that like any living thing, he
will cross the rainbow bridge sometime.  But I'm not ready for it now.  He
is still young and in good health.  I guess the Rainbow Bridge isn't ready
for him yet either!
 
Have a good one- Mrs. Duck
[Posted in FML issue 1317]