We HAVE had a ferret in a situation where a heart stick was the best
method for her. She was in an unrelenting grande mal seizure. Now, as
you know, in an unrelenting grande mal seizure so much of the brain is
firing simultaneously that unless it breaks the individual is usually
unaware and does not feel anything because there simply is too much
going on for the transmissions to work.
I have also heard of it used for ferrets after they were unconscious
from other meds.
That said, I advise not witnessing it. I don't know how many people
here have ever had to cut heart muscle for any foods but we once had
a ferret who liked cooked turkey heart, and that organ is DENSE.
Puncturing it is difficult and seeing that is upsetting.
There are uses for many things that people don't automatically realize
have uses. That is true in both veterinary and human medicine. I can
think of one human med procedure that people raised a huge stink about
because it really does sound disgusting in description and outlawed it
not all that many years back (politicians, not physicians since the
physicians knew better), but it actually was only created for use for
one specific and very rare situation that simply had no even half-way
decent outcome with any other procedure. I've also heard people raise
stinks about heart sticks on and off through the years but there are
some times when it is good for the sake of the ferret that the option
exists.
Heart stick is not what is normally used for our ferrets because for
most other approaches are usually (not always) more gentle. It is good
that it is possible for our few ones who are best helped by it for
passing, though.
It's important to recognize that life has its medical exceptions that
also need a treatment chosen according to the patient's needs.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/http://ferrethealth.org/archive/http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.htmlhttp://www.miamiferret.org/http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/http://www.ferretcongress.org/http://www.trifl.org/index.shtmlhttp://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
[Posted in FML 6531]
