Hello everyone!  Sorry for not posting sooner but things just kinda got
away from me.
 
Update on Bandit.  He came home Tuesday night and still had the hairball.
The vet was hoping that it would pass since it was not as big as Soxs
was.  We gave him hairball stuff and kept a close eye on him.
 
He would get up and run and play but still didn't feel well.  Wednesday
and Thursday not much change....
 
Friday, he seemed to have trouble going to the bathroom.  Kept backing up
into a corner but unable to go...finally he just gave up and went pee.  I
decided to call the vet and find out when she could do the surgery.
 
Upon calling her I found out that she was booked and she wouldn't be back
in until Tuesday.  They asked what the problem was and I explained.  They
talked to the vet and she said to bring him in right away.  I hurried to
the vet and she checked him out again.  She agreed that surgery was going
to be his best shot.  He did go to the bathroom while there (of course!)
but he strained so much for just a little to come out.  (sorry for the
details)
 
He had surgery at 1:30 pm on Friday.  She said that it wasn't a
"hairball" but he had a lot of foam in his belly and his belly was
enlarged and red because of it.  I can only guess that the foam came from
his previous owner because she had foam balls in the cage with them and
they only got out of the cage for 2 hours, once a week.  He does not chew
on things at our house nor do we have foam so easy for him to access.
 
He is recovering just fine and eating and drinking without a problem.  We
have to get him up and moving though.  So far I have seen that if they
are healthy enough, that exercise is good for them.  Don't care if it is
5 minutes or an hour out of the cage, so long as they get out and move
around a bit.
 
He is on antibiotics to make sure that he doesn't get an infection and we
are keeping an eye on the stitches.
 
Please, give your babies hairball treatment and ferret tone.  Maybe as
they age they have a harder time processing things, or maybe it just
builds up.  Either way, make sure to pay attention to them and the small
warning signs that they can put out.
 
Joanne
 
Ferret Corner Shelter
www.geocities.com/ferretcorneraz
[Posted in FML issue 3985]