I was quickly walking down the hallway to see who was squealing in the back
bedroom with my hands full of soiled papers so I couldn't see down when
Scooby came running from behind me and we both tried to step in the same
spot, his body on bottom my foot on top.... when I stepped down my foot
landed solidly on the bottom portion of his ribs and top of the abdomen,
rolled him over but with quite a bit of force... I dropped the papers
and he ran into the tube and wouldn't come out.  I shook the tube gently
(corrugated black drain tubing) and he hung on so I waited.  When he came
out a couple minutes later I grabbed him and checked first his ribs then
abdomen for tenderness with no pain response but his ribs on the left side
felt loose, not individually but that entire section, so I put him down and
he walked on the futon, jumped down and walked to another tube, looked in
but went around to the tv stand.  I got up to pick him up and he quickly
scooted under the stand and poked his head out.  I could tell he was hurt
even though he was moving around and there wasn't blood.  I called our vet
and told the emergency receptionist to alert the doctors that I was on
my way.  I got dressed grabbed Scooby and off we went to the vets.  He
rummaged around in the cage quite a bit, looked out the window then settled
down about the time we pulled in to Topeka (1 hour later).
 
When we got to the clinic Larry was already in surgery and was asked if I
wanted to leave him and come back later.  I surprised her by very pointedly
saying No I'll wait.  She was quite taken aback.  So I waited for 10
minutes till Travis came in and he took us back.  If Scooby had been
unconscious or in vocal pain I wouldn't have hesitated to go back and
tell Larry myself, but he wasn't so I waited.
 
Travis examined Scooby and felt several little vertebrae out of place
coming from the left side of the ribs.  He put them back in then did a
complete physical on the upper and lower body.  Then he took xrays.  What
he found is that there was obvious edema in the left lung, minor, but it
was there, no broken ribs, bottom 2 ribs which are very loose on the bottom
section had been stretched but not broken.  Scooby was given a lasix and
dexamethasone injection and he should be fine, sore but fine...
 
He slept on the ride back and went to his bed when we got home.  He hasn't
moved around a lot for a couple days but prognosis is good and he's eating.
I gave him another injection of lasix and dexamethasone last night, as
instructed.
 
This morning when I picked him up to check on him he whined.  I held him
close to listen to his lungs before getting the stethoscope to listen.  I
didn't hear anything but it is difficult to hear fluid in their tiny lungs.
I put him down and off he went.  I was getting ready to take him back to
our vets when I had to do a double-take.  Scooby was getting Nibbles and
not very gently either.  Then he was in and out of the tubes in a fussy
way.  When I stood up he followed me everywhere, circling me when I stopped
and walking between my feet when I walked.  He wasn't hyper or agitated.
Just being Scooby.
 
The accident happened on Tuesday so I'm guessing the whine was from
soreness in his rib area.  I should hear back from our vets later today
because I want to ask if they want me to bring him in for another x-ray.
Better to be safe.
 
I truly believe that taking Scooby to the vet as soon as I could get there
after the accident saved him a lot of pain and possibly a more serious
injury (from the vertebrae being out and edema in his left lung).  What a
frightening experience for both of us.  And painful too.  I sprained my
foot when I tried to rock my foot forward so I wouldn't put all my weight
on him.  I'd rather have broken my foot than cause him any harm...
 
Hugs to all. tle
Troy Lynn Eckart
Ferret Family Services
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~sprite/ffs.html
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/5481/
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[Posted in FML issue 3407]