Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 04:20:31 -0000
 From: "Dr. Bruce Williams" <[log in to unmask]>
 Subject: Re: Suzy
 
>Suzy had her radiographs today, and she has ruptured tendons in her back
>legs!  The vets said that I should give her limited activity (yep, this
>is the ferret who thinks I'm her own personal tree) and put her on baby
>aspirin.  so I cut the aspirin into 4ths, then shave part of the 1/8 piece
>off, give it to her in hair ball medicine.
>
>So that's why she's limping.  I have no idea how she did this unless in
>one of her climbing episodes she fell or pulled herself up harder than
>normal.  Anyone else ever had this happen?
>
>They also said no surgery, which is fine, as Fang's adrenal surgery is
>scheduled for March 27.
 
Dear XXXXX:
 
Did they mention which tendons - ferret legs have a number of tendons
and ligaments, and in a case this unusual, it is nice to have all of
the details.
 
Yes, surgery is rarely an option for tendon damage in small mammals,
due to the difficulty in tendon healing - the low vascularity of tendons
makes cleanup by the body problematic, and regrowth of new tendon almost
impossible.  Even in humans, tendon surgery has a very long recovery and
rehabilitation period.  It is not an uncommon sports injury in humans
with rehab times of up to a year.
 
I have not heard of spontaneous rupture of tendons in ferrets - we do see
problems in horses which are known as "bowed tendon".  When a racehorse
is diagnoses with a "bowed tendon" it generally means its racing days are
over.  With prolonged rest, these animals may be serviceable for pleasure
riding or stud, but that's about it.
 
You'll have to break the news to Suzy that her racing days are over.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM
 
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[Posted in FML issue 3343]