I was abruptly reminded last night of why I tend to discourage people from
breeding.  As is usual for summer, my ferrets have been losing some weight.
I was a little worried when Baby, my heavily pregnant (and due) jill,
lost more than usual, but she settled down and started gaining some back.
Another of my jills who I suspected was pregnant (she wasn't showing but
had been in with the hob for a short time) always loses more weight than my
other ferrets, but yesterday it went from her normal summer weight to below
it, and I made arrangements to see the vet today.
 
At 6pm (fifteen minutes after the vet closed <sigh> it was obvious that
she'd gone from skinny to skinny and weak.  At 10.30/11pm she'd gone from
skinny and weak to dangerously weak and needing a vet immediately.  She
had become dehydrated, had lost control of her bowels (much to her obvious
embarressment) and although she looked around her curiously, she'd become
even weaker.  The vet was not impressed by being called in at 11pm, but
immediately set to looking afterher when we arrived at the clinic.
 
After rehydrating, taking her temperature and feeling her carefully... he
offered that the kits she carried had either died, and were creating toxins
in the body, or she had a uterine infection that was obviously doing
damage.  Either way, she would require an operation and she was too weak
to handle that then.  After giving her a shot to reduce the toxins in her
body, the vet told me to come by the next day.
 
The next morning, when checking on her, it was evident that the middle of
the night visit had helped.  She was more perky than the previous evening,
and moving around more happily.  She was taken in to the vet to have her
operation.  She had improved, but there were some risks in the operation,
since she was still weak, only on a "drug induced" reaction creating the
 
the operation, and once more before I came to collect her.  The vet is
worried that the toxins in her body may have damaged her kidneys.
 
Right now, she's at home, very weak, but immediate went for her food when
she got home.  Her very weakness means she'll be on duck soup for a while,
but she's a fighter, and should perk up enough to eat solids shortly.  Less
than 24 hours, and I'm expecting a bill of at least $200 if not more (not
including anything unusual that may have happened in the operation)
 
Anyone who thinks there's money in breeding animals need only look at this
one occurance... every pregnancy there's the risk that this may happen, and
the risk that they'll lose their jills.  Every pregnancy there are risks
that one or more of the kits become ill, and each and every pregnancy there
are added costs in order to keep the jills and kits healthy.  Precaution
doesn't work every time, although it helps.  In the years that I've been
breeding I have very rarely have problems, but whenever there is a problem,
it's often fatal, sometimes to the mother, more often to the kits.
 
Sam
[Posted in FML issue 2512]