Hi Emily,
 
I have 28 ferrets in residence at the moment each with their own scent
glands.  Honestly, I can go for weeks and never smell a "poof".  The
time that I'm almost certain they will disgrace themselves, is when I
have visitors.  :-)
 
Years ago, I had a ferret who would do "overflow poofs", even in her
sleep.  The condition righted itself without any treatment after a couple
of weeks.
 
A friend had a ferret with the same condition but it wasn't cured until
it had completed a course of antibiotics.  I've heard of this only a few
times in over 10 years.
 
Here in West Oz, only once have I heard of a ferret who needed to have
his anal glands removed because of chronic impaction and inflammation.
 
If I was in your position, I would probably suggest to the vet to
prescribe a course of antibiotics and only resort to surgery if all else
failed.
 
Shirley
From Western Australia where we don't descent.
[Posted in FML issue 4672]