Gary wrote:
>I have been noticing lately (somewhere else) that a number of otherwise
>healthy ferrets are dying from anesthesia alone.  One ferret goes in for
>what should have been a routine operation, which was uneventful and
>successful, but fails to wake up afterwards and dies.  Another ferret
>goes in to have it's teeth cleaned, but dies from the anesthesia.  In
>both cases, they were leading happy and normal lives, only to be "put
>to death" for simple things!
 
I'm sorry, Gary, that you have lost two kids; I too had a ferret die
recently when she was put under for some routine surgery.  I had my
vet do a necropsy and we discovered that she had advanced lymphoma and
probably not have lived much longer anyway.  Did you have your vet
necropsy them?  Did he/she find anything significant?  It may not be
the anesthesia, it may have been other complications you didn't know
about with your ferrets.
 
I trust my vet to do what is right.  I have taken many ferrets to him
over the years, recommended him to many, many people, and have had very
few complaints (except that some people think he charges too much!).  If
you don't trust your vet to do what is right, then ASK before you take
the ferret in -- ask if he/she is ready for a reaction to a vaccine; ask
if he/she is ready to respond to complications from surgery or dentistry.
Then ask what he/she would do if... Sometimes you need to be proactive
to protect your children.  If you don't get satisfactory answers, you may
want to try to educate the vet or find another one.
 
Melanee Ellis
"The Ferret Lady"
www.ferretlady.org
[Posted in FML issue 4291]