O.k.  this may sound silly to others but let me explain.  Charlie has
lymphosarcoma and was not responding well to the Pediapred, Pau 'D Arco, Vit
C therapy so after talking with our vet we decided to try Pep-E.  Pep-E is
an injectable solution and I have NEVER injected any ferret before.  I've
never had to.  We don't sub-q fluids and I hadn't vaccinated our ferrets
myself.  But now I found if I was going to help Charlie I had to do this.
I'd heard how tough their skin is and I had all the normal fears - what if I
go into the muscle, what if I go through the skin, what if I hurt her, what
if I can't get the needle in????  And to complicate matters, Charlies neck
lymph nodes were swollen which pulled the skin tight.  Three nights ago I
gave Charlie her first injection.  I scruffed Charlie while Nancy was giving
her some linatone.  AT first the needle wouldn't go through the skin, when I
gently pushed the skin went with it.  So I gritted my teeth and made sure
the needle was slanted away from the muscle but not enough to come back
through the skin and applied a steady gentle pressure and VOILA in it went.
I slowly injected the hand warmed medicine and Charlie never flinched.  We
used a 25 gauge needle.  Charlie has had 2 more injections, she gets one a
day for 5 days and then 1 every other day for 3-4 days.  I still grit my
teeth and on occasion close my eyes.  But I do get the job done as gently as
I possibly can.  I did discover that the lower the injection the easier to
get the needle through the skin.  My hands shake quite a bit AFTER the
injection but I hope to someday feel confident with this procedure.  I'm so
worried about causing pain to her.  But the great news is that the Pep-E
seems to have helped.  Each day the lymph node swelling has decreased!
 
If anyone has any suggestions on how to make this procedure easier on either
of us, please email me.
 
Our condolences to those that have lost a loved one.  Hugs to all. tle
[Posted in FML issue 1911]