Please, if ever you step on a ferret, they need to see a vet for xrays,
go to a emergency animal hospital. Years ago, I stepped on one of my
ferrets that was under a overhanging bedspread and I heard what sounded
like a pop. Right away I felt denial setting in. I picked him up and
his eyes were big. I watched him for a few minutes and he seemed okay
but then he walked and laid down and I knew something was really wrong.
I rushed him to a emergency vet (they did not do ferrets) about 10
minutes away and they immediately did xrays and tried to get a catheter
in him but could only get it into his rear hip as his veins were
collapsing. Of course he bit the tech out of fear. Cooper J went into
shock and they rushed him into surgery. They ended up siphoning his
blood out of his stomach where it was pooling from his damaged popped
spleen. They saved the blood and filtered it and then after repairing
the spleen, they gave him a blood transfusion with his own blood. It
was a very rough few days for Cooper J in the hospital. He had to wear
a "cup" around his head which had straps attached and threaded through
his chest and shoulders, so he would not pull his catheter out. I went
to see him every day, patting him, feeding him and comforting him. He
pulled through! Thank God he was a very strong willed ferret. He lived
two more years and passed on due to cardiomyopathy at over 8 years of
age. Mind you, he had adrenal surgery at about 5 years old and was up
and bouncing around in the cage on the way home a few hours after
surgery. He was a fighter. He had to wear a cup on his head when he
had the bilateral surgery as he was always trying to get at himself. I
also had the "kitten soft nails" (that go over nails to stop them from
scratching and tearing things up) put on him to avoid him doing any
damage to himself.

Please never think it did not happen, as it did, when we do something
accidently wrong and by not taking your ferret to the vet, it could
cost them their life. It is better to be safe than sorry, get them to a
vet. I do know of someone who stepped on a ferret and thought they were
okay as the ferret seemed okay. A few hours later, the ferret was found
dead, half in the sleepsack. I learned from her experience it is best
to have them checked out.

Eleanor, Donald and the 12, waiting on 2 new boys

[Posted in FML 6048]