Hi all,
 
Hope this day finds all you hoomans and fuzzies well and happy!
 
Yesterday was 'ferret day at the spa'.  It's what I call the ritual of nail
clipping and ear cleaning.  All seemed to be going well, business as usual,
Dakota bit me twice, Simba was his usual calm self.... Then it happened...
 
Monte is my silver mitt, he's a bit hyper, and he goes into panic mode even
when scruffed.  I was clipping his nails, had applied ferretone to his
belly to lick, and decided I was done.  Monte is not one to let me clip his
nails, let alone clean his ears, so I thought I would do his ears another
day.  I noticed this one nail that was still a bit too long.  I decided to
clip it again.... BAD Decision!
 
Monte was still, scruffed, and I manuevered the nail clippers carefully
into position.  Yup, you guessed it, he went into his freeze mode, all legs
extended, frozen solid, eyes open, looking wild with fear, 'just at the
moment I clipped, he moved'.  I cut his vein.... and boy did it bleed.
This had never happened to me before.  Yes, I've nicked their little veins
a few times, but never actually cut it.  I've never seen anything bleed
like that.  After 15 minutes of trying to apply pressure, and trying to
hold onto him to boot, I called my vet.  She was off for the day, but her
partner was in.
 
I told them what happened, and they told me to bring him right in.  I was
so very concerned with the blood loss... Ferrets are small, and I wasn't
sure how much blood he could lose without compromising his life... (I know
in hindsight this sounds like pure panic, and trust me, it WAS pure panic!
I don't like to see bleeding animals, and felt helpless and scared)
 
Anyway, the vet saw Monte right away, cleaned his nail, and applied Qwik
stop to it.  I had never heard of this product, and they told me I could
get it at any pet store.  It is a styptic powder, much like what men put on
shaving cuts on their faces.  I was at once annoyed and relieved.  I felt
annoyed that the vet did not simply tell me this on the phone.  Then, I
realized the panic I was in, and it probably sounded like he was in shock
or something.  (Actually, I was the one who was in shock, and needed
medical attention!  I can overeact sometimes, guilty!)
 
Well, a happy ending!  He is fine, and I learned something new.  The vet
did not charge me a dime, and I thought that was extremely nice of him,
considering he was about to enter surgery when I called, and he waited for
me to bring Monte in.
 
There's no moral of this story, except to say that I think I may not be
cutting Monte's nails anymore, I felt so badly about cutting him, and maybe
I should just visit the vet more often and let them do it..  Also, I have a
deep appreciation for my vet!  I have always loved them there, but I had
never met the partner before, always preferring to wait until 'my vet' was
in to make appointments.  She is an expert on ferrets, had 3 of her own,
and I love her to pieces.
 
Well, Just wanted to share my day with you all.  Monte was extremely
exhausted after his long day, and slept most of the afternoon.  He is now
happily playing, eating raisins, and doing his thing.  Mom is now calm,
cool and collected.  Today, among my errands, will be a stop at the pet
store for qwik stop.  Oh, also, the vet told me the next time it happens,
if I didn't have qwik stop, I could just take the cut nail and put it into
a wet, soggy bar of soap.  I winced at that one, thinking it would burn.
I don't think I'd ever do that.... Anyone else ever hear of this?
 
One more comment.  The store I go to stopped carrying 'yesterday's news'.
They have another litter, 'Aspen Supreme'.  It is made out of aspen
shavings, is pelleted just like yesterday's news, and states it is safe for
ferrets.  I like how it smells, and it definitely keeps the cage cleaner.
I was wondering if anyone knows anything about this product and whether or
not it really is good for the little guys.
 
Thanks for listening.  Happy, healthy new year to all!
 
hugs,
vicki
[Posted in FML issue 2919]