Holly is a 10 oz. 5 1/2 yrs. old black sable female with a temper from Hell (long history of abuse). She is a former breeder from McKay's in Ohio three years ago (where a couple hundred ferrets were seized) and has been fixed, but not descented. One of Holly's scent glands (the scent gland and not the anal lubrication gland) is clogged. She can spray out of one side, but not the other. The side that is blocked is swelling and firming up to look like a grape. She strains to spray, but only the one side works. Her squeaks as she sprays is not normal. We tried to do the usual fix for a clogged scent gland -- soaking her rear in very warm water and then milking the swollen gland. I won't go into the painful details, but we did not attain success. What I need to know from those of you that are very, very familiar with ferrets that still have scent glands is: 1. Do I immediately take her into a local bet Tuesday morning that is somewhat familiar with ferrets, or do I wait until Wednesday, until the specialist a few counties over will see her? This pares down to: is it an emergency? 2. No matter which vet I go to, what should I ask them? What questions are necessary and appropriate? 3. What possible prognosis's could I expect? Is there likely to be a surgical issue, or is it just a milk-the-gland issue? With respect, Lori in Ohio Ferrets: Rhys, Ayla & Codo, Mandie & Winter, Holly & Charlie [Posted in FML 6652]