Hi Everyone,
My day started at 4:30am to take my shower, set up playroom for ferrets,
clean cages and give meds and hand feed and syringe ferrets before I
headed off to take Socks in for his Radiograph that the vet was doing,
because Sock's lump on his head had come back after removing 4 teeth and
draining infections out of his eye in April.  She wanted to get X-ray's
this time because she just wasn't sure if it was just fluid build up
again or the dreaded word Cancer.
 
After the X-ray's she was sure it was cancer, but in my opinion the
X-ray's were worthless, as far as I could tell it really didn't show
anything.  She suggest doing surgery and removing the eye, ect.  I said
no way.  So then she decided maybe if we tried draining the lump at least
it would take pressure off the eye.  She took him back to the back room
and when she came back with the syringe it was full of fluid.  So she
said lets put him out and see how much fluid I can get out.  So I left
Socks with her and went back to met daughter on the Kirkland Waterfront
and we went out to eat greek food and at 2:30pm went back to get him and
she had just started doing surgery, ended up going back home to take
daughter and boyfriend back to the house, and change ferret groups, clean
litter boxes, hand feed ferrets.  Then proceed back at 4:30pm to pick
Socks up.
 
Got home about 5:30pm, changed ferret groups, cleaned cages, hand feed
and syringed ferrets, Finally around 8:00pm it was time to put the 4
girls to bed and clean playroom.  Set up cage in my bedroom for Socks,
gave him meds, chicken gravy, put warm packs on his face, hopefully this
will help the area to drain better.  She now says there's no cancer, all
it really needed was to be drained again.  After spending $36l.00. and
an entire day getting it done and yet the same thing may happen again.
 
I would like everyone to know how important daily teeth cleaning is.
They have now come out with a sealent to put on cats and dogs teeth after
they have been cleaned and polished.  The vet is now trying it on a
ferret at the shelter, hopefully it will work on this ferret and soon she
will be using it on all ferrets at the shelter.  I had heard about it at
another vet I usually go to.  If you have young ferrets start brushing
their teeth so they get use to it from the beginning because once they
get older it is so hard to get them to let you brush their teeth.
 
Also found out that pepcid does not last once you make it up for your
ferrets.  In the past I had always crushed the tablets and mixed it with
water and gave it to them with a syringe.  I never thought to ask in the
past how long it was good once you made it up.  According to this vet it
doesn't last at all.  You need to cut the tablet in fourths then crush
the fourth that you are giving to your ferret, put it in Nutri-cal and
get them to take it this way.  So did this tonight and had no problem
getting them to take it.  Also said I didn't have to wait to feed them,
in the past I have always waited for at least an hour after giving
ferrets Pepcid and Pepto Bismo.  Will make it easier for me now that I
don't have to wait for start hand feeding ferrets.  According to this
vet she says there are very few meds that you have to wait before giving
food to them.
 
Well time to see if Socks will eat any more of Bob's Chicken Gravy and
get to bed, so I can start another day of taking care of ferrets.
 
Charleen and the Wa. Tails
[Posted in FML issue 4604]