Dear LInda:
 
>He said there are 2 ways to treat it: the easy way (which we are trying
>first) is with triple antibiotic ointment 4 times a day and atropine
>once a day.  If that doesn't work, he wants to anesthetize him and try to
>remove the ulcerated tissue.  Otherwise, we risk blindness in that eye.
 
I'm not sure if one is easier than the other, but what you are doing is the
right first step for a non-perforating ulcer.  Stick with the ointments
religiously, and if he starts showing additional signs of pain - all of a
sudden holding the eye closed - then call the vet right away.  If an ulcer
perforates, that is much worse and then we start worrying about blindness.
 
You don't really remove ulcerated tissues - you can clean up the edges, but
the more common surgical approach would be to do a conjunctival flap (this
is how we treat a performation.  You loosen up the conjunctiva around the
eye and sew it closed over the eye.  This tissue will patch the hole in the
eye, and will add its considerable weight to the reparative processes going
on in the cornea - brining blood vessels, inflammatory cells to clean up
the debris, etc.  There is a small scar formed in the deficit, but it's a
lot better than losing the eye.
 
>I'm at a loss for what might have caused this.  Caruso does rub his face
>on the carpet alot after eating his chicken gravy, but don't know how he
>could have injured his eye.  Has anyone else seen anything like this
>before?
 
Ulcers in ferrets are almost always due to trauma - a poke in the eye by
a cage wire, a cat scratch, etc.  Sometimes it is a combination of events
that can't be easily reproduced.  The most important thing now is to
medicate religiously and watch for any signs that the cornea is not
healing.  The white of the eye and the rim of the ulcer will probably
turn bright red - that is a good sign, so don't be alarmed.  Keeping the
eye closed is the bad sign that you want to look for.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams,d VM
[Posted in FML issue 3276]