To the kind ferret owner inquiring about euthanasia,
 
You are wise to ask first.  A heart stick while being a quick way IS NOT
necessarily painless.  The rib cage is covered with nerve endings and while
the ferret is injected directly into the heart between the 2nd & 3 rd ribs
when on its side the heart drops-- what this means is the injections may
NOT get into the proper placement so -- it may not be quick may need to be
repeated and WILL NOT be painless.  In the case of a heartstick the ferret
should be anesthetized first before the final injection .  This brings them
to a surgical sleep state and they will feel no pain.
 
I speak from experience, not only as a shelter Mom who has accompanied many
terminal and suffering ferrets to the bridge and been holding them during
procedures, but also as a certified euthanasia technician.  The course work
while extremely sensitive was necessary to understand the process fully.
 
Ferrets have options for euthanasia, they can receive a kitten
administration which is a IP intrapareteneal injection ( into belly) MANY
SMALL PETS hamsters, mice , rats are also administered this procedeure) -
this is a quick shot which is administered into the belly and is absorbed
into the blood stream, the ferret gets groggy slower, meaning you can
hold , pet and comfort the pet into his final slumber.
 
In a NUTSHELL- the IP process takes about 10-15 mins. to death and is
relatively painless, the surgical sleep state occurs in 3-5 mins. as the
solution travels to the brain-- the brain cells are anesthetized which in
turn they stop telling the heart to beat.  Within a few minutes the heart
stops beating and life ends.  That is the process.  The heart stick speeds
up the process to about 2-3 minutes until death, but the animal feels sharp
pain on the way out-- and never acknowledges any sense of the comfort of
the owner.  You can make your own choice but my choice is always that to
administer anesthesia prior to a heart stick or an IP injection.
 
Hope this makes things a little clearer, though it will never make the
choice easier.
 
Alicia
shelter MOm
Ferret Wise
www.ferretwise.org
[Posted in FML issue 3508]