To Tryntje Miller:
 
In your situation, you probably had no other choice, and sometimes you have
to weigh pros and cons to help you decide what to do.
 
Generally, older ferrets sometimes have a longer recuperating period - farm
ferrets are descented at about 5 - 6 weeks of age and generaly recover quite
quickly.  Marshall Farms does not recommend descenting older ferrets because
the surgery is not as 'simple' on older ferrets as it is on younger ones.
 
Occasionally, some of the anal gland tissue is mistakenly left in, and will
continue to produce anal secretions.  Additional surgery is necessary to
get any remaining pieces.
 
Your little ferret had a problem, so descenting no longer was an "elective"
procedure - it became "necessary." It was good that you recognized something
was going on and took her to the vet.
 
BTW, you might want to strongly consider using a pellet litter - such as
Pine Fresh - until the surgery has completely healed.  Using clay litter can
cause infections - the little pieces of litter will stick to the butt and
irritate the incision.  You won't have that problem with the Pine Fresh
pellets.
 
Debbie Riccio
Western New York and Finger Lakes Ferret Association
Rochester, NY
[Posted in FML issue 1438]