My vet uses a catheter. He is very experienced with small animals and can insert catheters very quickly/easily. My vet clinic has a very nice room for this purpose, with a sofa. He brings the ferret to me to hold as long as I want. When I am ready, he injects the solution. It is over even before he has finished the injection. It is a very peaceful, calm passing, with the ferret merely going to sleep. I'm sure he primarily does it this way so that it is less traumatic on the client/patient. To inject into a vein is a sure thing. I certainly have no problem with this procedure or I wouldn't allow it. Maybe I've been fortunate that it has always gone well, but I have never regretted doing it this way. I have never seen the first inkling of any discomfort, start to finish. And, yes, I have been present while inserting the catheter; a little bit of NutriCal takes their mind completely off it. One who is a little wiggly gets a little whiff of iso to calm him down. The heart stick has got to be the most cruel way of doing things unless the animal is already comatose, and even then we can't be sure they don't feel it. It sounds like the stomach stick is just as effective so why would any vet opt to do a heart stick? Katharine Florida [Posted in FML 6533]