Just a short soapy box commentary.
 
I get somewhat alarmed by some of the questions that get posted to the
FML regarding ferret health.  The ones I get alarmed at are ones such as
yesterday's "My ferret's belly has been swollen and bloated for 3 days
and doubled in size...what do I do?"
 
Anytime a ferret has any symptom(s) such as:
 
a) obvious discomfort and/or distress that does not ease up within 12
   hours (sometimes indicated by restlessness, lethargy, crying,
   scratching or biting at a certain part of their body)
 
b) a change in their physical appearance to the point that it alarms
   their human
 
c) becomes lethargic, unrousable, or depressed for more than 12-24 hours
 
d) vomiting that does not stop within a 12-hour period
 
e) a fever of any kind (they will feel very warm all over their body and
   be very drowsy and lethargic)
 
f) loss of appetite and/or disinterest in food
 
g) major change in personality (sudden aggression, biting, etc can
   indicate that a ferret does not feel well or is in pain internally)
 
h) hind-end weakness, excess salivation, blank staring, constant swallowing
 
i) discolored diarrhea that does not ease up with a 24-hour period
 
j) discharge from any bodily opening (yes, including vulva and penis)
 
THEY NEED TO BE TAKEN TO A VET IMMEDIATELY (OR AS IMMEDIATELY
AS POSSIBLE)!!
 
A good rule of thumb is: "If this was my human child, and it was having
these symptoms, would I wait 3 days to see if it kept getting worse, or
would I rush them to the emergency room?" Basically, if your ferret is
looking or feeling ill in the morning and you return home from work and
they are in the same condition, they need to get to the vet that night or
the next morning, depending on the severity of the symptoms.  If you give
them 3-4 days to let the problem worsen, the result may be that they can't
be saved.  And "I should've gotten him to the vet sooner!" is a very
difficult thing to have to live with.
 
Waiting a day or two for advice from other ferret owners is OK when you
have a question about litter training, treats, stopping bad nipping,
solving compatibility problems, or other behavioral issues.  But when a
ferret is showing clear signs of something wrong physically, a call needs
to be made to a vet immediately, no hesitation.  Waiting even 24 hours
for a response from someone on the FML is another day your ferret is in
pain, or that their medical problem is growing far worse.
 
Anticipating that some will take this to mean that I don't think people
should post their ferret's medical problems AT ALL - relax, that is not
what I'm saying.  Ferret owners can and should ask for advice, but at the
same time be seeing a vet.  For example, Brett and Missy's post is asking
for advice and information from other ferret owners, but they also make
it clear that they have a vet appointment for their fuzzy to check his
BG.  In the meantime, they're looking for advice from other ferret owners
who may have gone through the same kind of worry..."Does my ferret have
insulinoma?" and probably also looking for advice on how to handle living
with an insulinomic ferret.  This is definitely the kind of thing the FML
can be most useful for, and they were right to make an immediate
appointment to get the BG checked.
 
So, I'm NOT saying never post your medical questions here.  I'm saying
that when there is an obvious physical problem that isn't going away (3
days is 2 days too long to have waited if a ferret is having an obvious
problem), a vet needs to be called.  Immediately.
 
Anticipating some flames, my concern here is for the ferrets, and I'm
motivated by having known shelter moms, and knowing the heartbreak they've
faced so many times after getting a ferret in that could have been saved
if it had gotten to the vet on time.  Too many pets - of all kinds - are
lost because their owners wait too long to get them medical help.
 
How do I know?  Am I speaking from personal experience?  You betcha.  My
cousin had a beautiful Golden retriever named Marley.  Marley was the best
dog you could ever hope to meet (as Goldens often are).  When Marley was
4, my cousin's brother laid his Chinese dinner out on the table and ran
upstairs for something.  When he came back, he discovered that Marley (an
MSG conniseur) had wolfed everything on his plate.  My cousin didn't think
he needed to inform anyone in the family that Marley had swallowed not
only the dinner, but the six-inch bamboo skewer that had been holding the
beef together.
 
Marley spent 3 days with the skewer slowly piercing his stomach and
intestines.  He cried and refused to eat and his discomfort and distress
were obvious.  But my aunt and uncle waited from Friday to Monday to take
him to the vet, because they didn't feel like paying the high price of
emergency service, and decided to wait and see how he was doing on Monday.
When Marley's vet saw him, and viewed his x-rays, she put him down
immediately.  There was no way to save him, his insides were completely
shredded, and his suffering was intense.  Had he been taken to the vet
immediately, like right after he swallowed the skewer, or immediately when
he began to show signs of distress, he might still be making their family
very happy.  Instead his life was cut short at 4 years, because he didn't
deserve the same kind of medical consideration that other family members
would have gotten (I doubt my aunt and uncle would have let my cousins
walk around for 3 days crying and refusing to eat and showing obvious
agony!).
 
Pets are family members, and their medical emergencies should be treated
the same as any other family members' medical emergencies - quickly and
with deepest regard for their safety and health.
 
-Heather W, who has rushed ferrets to the hospital at midnight and paid
 an arm and a leg for it, but they are still with me!
[Posted in FML issue 3709]