Hi,
 
I thought I would let everyone know that my poor Orion had some sort of
eye injury tonight.  I noticed around 9 p.m. that he was holding one eye
closed.  I put some saline in his eye to rinse it and that didn't do any
good.  I also tried just washing with water and that didn't do the trick
either.  So, off to the emergency vet we go.
 
I'm glad we went.  The doctor (Dr. Meyer at Tampa Bay Vet Emergency
Service) dilated and stained his eye and then looked at it under the
special light.  It turns out that the poor guy had a scratch right down
the middle of his eye.  We suspect that either rough play or playing with
the cat was what caused it.
 
I have to call his regular vet tomorrow and set up an appointment.  Dr.
Meyer gave us two ointments for his eyes.  I know a lot of people on the
FML like to keep up with the medications that are prescribed to ferrets
and the uses for them, so here is what Orion got...
 
Atropine Ointment (apply once a day) - Contains Atropine Sulfate 1.0%,
Lanolin, White Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Purified Water and Chlorobutanol
0.5%
  This is used to dilate his eyes.  The doctor put some of this in and
  watched him for a few minutes because she was afraid of a reaction.  It
  says on the package that it should be used with care in patients with a
  narrow angle.  It also states that it should not be used in patients
  with predisposition to angle closure glaucoma or in children who have
  previously had a severe systemic reaction to atropine.
 
Neobacimyx Ointment (apply three times a day) - Each gram contains
Bacitracin Zinc 400 units, Neomycin Sulfate 5 mg (equivalent to 3.5 mg of
Neomycin Base), Polymyxin B Sulfate 10,000 units, in a base of White
Petrolatum and Mineral Oil.
 
  This is an antibiotic to treat the scratch.  It says that the antibiotic
  may cause itching, burning or inflammation in animals sensitive to the
  product.
 
We were told to watch for sensitivity, itching, pawing, swelling, etc.  In
the hour drive home, he showed no problems.  Fortunately, Damon is home
during the day, so he can watch for problems.  I don't know if this helps
anyone, but here it is, just the same.
 
Dooks to all and our prayers to the sick and those that have passed...
 
April "LOVES" Ferrets
 
L una
O rion
V enus
E ros
S ola
[Posted in FML issue 3061]