Hello all,

My precious Beau is going to have a front leg amputated next week. He
is a very agile and athletic ferret and has a combo of problems - a
subluxation / dislocated bones, probably due to an ill-judged jump from
one piece of furniture to another; and a very slow-growing bone tumor
in his elbow, which is causing the bones in that area to essentially
dissolve.

Beau had a bad reaction to anesthesia when his Xray was taken last
week, but the vet revived him and then successfully used a different
protocol to put him under again. I'm trying not to worry or obsess too
much about what might happen when he goes under for the surgery, and
focus on helping him recover as fast and easily as possible.

Lots of furkids do just fine on three legs, but the healing process is
very scary. Does anyone have advice or suggestions to keep him safe and
comfortable after the surgery? He'll be in a restricted space, and will
have pain meds, but I worry about handling him and irritating the
wound, especially while hand-feeding. Beau has a tendency to wiggle
because he's so independent and exuberant. Also if your ferret had an
amputation, how long did it take for them to start feeling better and
begin bouncing around again?

Beau is unusually sweet and gentle, a Big Cheerful Boy. He always
mentors and watches over the little ones coming to their new 4-ever
home. He's taught more than one survivor of abuse and neglect
(including a badly traumatized DMK girl) how to play, make friends and
act like a "real" ferret. He mediates disputes. He's the alpha guy in
our family, leading by example and TLC. Please pray for him...

Susann Thiel

[Posted in FML 7450]