After having to euthanaise many more ferrets than I'd ever have wanted
to, ABSOLUTELY the heart-stick is the quickest, painless way to go.
Our vet puts the needle into the chest, while injecting some of the
phenobarbital around the heart sack and lungs as he enters- then when
he injects the dose into the heart, the ferret just goes limp, and he's
gone.
 
No shaving of the foreleg while they HUNT for a vein, no shaving of the
neck while they HOPE to hit a vein- just much, much less trauma for an
already very sad situation.
 
Trying to OD while masking them would last FOREVER, not mention a very
possible failure, and a panicked ferret.  I wish there was just a magic
wand to wave over them to take away all of their pain and let them pass
away in their sleep.
 
Marlene B.
[Posted in FML issue 4883]