This document provides information and guidance for nursing care of sick and post-surgical ferrets at home. It discusses the importance of proper hydration, temperature regulation, nutrition including specialized food and force-feeding if needed, administering medications, caring for stitches or staples, and monitoring elderly or rescued ferrets. It also covers measuring and compounding medications, signs of serious problems, and basic ferret medical values. The document is intended to help ferret owners provide essential care with their vet's guidance.

1. Nursing Care
for
Sick and Post Surgical Ferrets
Presented at the
June 2011 IFC Symposium
by Barb Carlson

2. Topics
 Why in-home care
 The basics
 Special concerns
 Ill ferrets
 Elderly ferrets
 Rescued/found ferrets
 Measuring, math and mixing meds

3. Disclaimer
 I’m not a vet
 This information is based on my
personal experience
 This info is to be used with your vet’s
help not in place of it

4. Why in-home post-surgical care?

5. Less expensive
 Most ferrets don’t
need much more
than food, water,
warmth and meds.

6. Better hour-by-hour care
 You will be caring
for only one ferret
 You can check on
them more often

7. Ferret is more comfortable
 A gentle
roommate can
make a difference
 Helps keep them
warm
 Comforting

8. Ferret is more comfortable
 Ferret is in a
familiar
environment
 Vet’s office is bright,
noisy and stressful

9. Familiar food
 Special food can be
misplaced
 They might not be
enthused about
whole prey
 Storage could be a
problem

10. Familiar food
 Sick ferrets like
their familiar
duck soup
 At the right
temperature, too!

11. Ferrets respond to affection
 No one loves your
ferret like you do
 They will often eat
just to please you
 Sometimes they
need a reason to
stay

12. The Basics
 Hydration
 Temperature
regulation
 Food
 Medication

13. Hydration—Very Important

14. Hydration
 Dehydrated
ferret won’t eat
or drink
 Slows recovery
 Damages
kidneys

15. Check for tented skin
 Back of neck
 Easy
 Affected by
weight loss
 Belly
 A little harder but
more accurate

16. Neck pinch

17. Neck pinch
If the skin
stays up,
that means
the ferret is
dehydrated

18. Belly pinch

19. Belly pinch
The longer it
stays up, the
more
dehydrated
they are

20. Sub-Q Fluids
You’re
going to do
what?!

21. Sub-Q Fluids
 Sub-q stands for “subcutaneous”
 The fluids make a “camel hump” that is
absorbed slowly
I prefer my
fluids on
the outside.

22. Sub-Q fluids can save a life
 If severely
dehydrated, they
don’t absorb oral
fluids very well

23. Sub-Q is not that hard
 It can be done
easily at home
 It’s hard to do it
wrong
 Air bubbles under
the skin won’t kill
the ferret

24. Sub-Q Fluids are IV fluids
 You get them from
your vet
 Different kinds are
used for different
things

25. To start, you need IV fluid …

26. … a 25-35cc syringe …

27. … and needles
 Some people use
22 gauge needles

28. Butterfly needles can be used

29. You need a distraction
 Ferretone, Nutrical or other tasty treat

30. A helper is nice
 Optional, but nice
 Helps by holding
the ferret
 Will leave both
your hands free

31. Draw fluid into the syringe

32. Use a fresh needle each time
 Goes into skin
easier
 Warm fluid is
nice

33. Give it in the scruff
 “Reverse
scruff” the
ferret
 Make a “tent”

34. Insert needle parallel to body
 Apply
pressure and
fluid will go in
slowly
 Not too fast

35. Sub-Q tips
 Hang on tight
 Don’t get bitten
 Pinch hole to help it
close
 Leakage is common
 A little blood is
common

36. How much, how often?
 Give 25-35cc two or three times a day
 Need around 60-90 cc of fluid a day
 Duck soup counts

37. Temperature
 Keep the ferret warm, but not hot
 If he is very sleepy, he won’t move
 Snuggle-Safe Disk
 Doesn’t get TOO hot
 No wires
 No electricity
 Non-toxic

38. Food: Fast recovery needs fuel
 Canned a/d
 Chicken baby
food
 Homemade duck
soup
 Hint:
 A Gerber baby
food jar filled to
the top is 60 cc

39. After surgery
 They can have hard
food unless the vet
says not to
 They usually prefer
a soupy duck soup

40. Small amounts frequently
 At first, just a little
 Don’t force them to eat
right away if they don’t
want to
 By the next day they
should be able to eat
 They need at least 60cc
of liquid food daily

41. Sick ferrets like it soupy
 Should pour like
soup
 They like it warm
 Put a towel down
so they can stand
more easily

42. Getting them to eat duck soup

43. Start with it on your finger
 Hold them if they
aren’t cooperating
 From finger, go to
a spoon
 From a spoon, go
to a bowl
 If they eat from
the bowl, rejoice!

44. If you have to force-feed
 A feeding
syringe with an
“O-ring” lasts
the longest

45. How to force-feed
 Scruff ferret
 Dribble a little at a
time into front of
mouth
 Give them a break
from time to time
 You can fit 18cc in
a ferret stomach,
minimum

46. When to stop trying
 If they clamp their teeth shut and refuse
to swallow, reconsider if you should be
forcing them to eat
 Don’t force feed if they are blocked
 Don’t try to feed if unconscious

47. Medications: Ask questions!
 Name, dosage, how
often.
 What is it supposed to
do?
 Given how long,
refrigerated, expiration
 Write things down

48. Medications: Check it
 Read the instructions back
to the vet
 Check the bottle when you
get it
 Vet techs and pharmacies
can make mistakes

49. Medication tips
 Give meds near back
of mouth
 Make sure you have a
good grip on the ferret
 It’s easier to depress
plunger when held like
this

50. Keep track of meds
 Make a schedule
 It’s much easier to remember
 You can give accurate info to the vet
9:15 8:30
9:30 8:45
9:15 8:30

51. Pain Control
 Ask about pain control
 Most vets give a pain shot
 Ask to be sure
 If not, request something
 Ferrets heal much better when pain is
controlled

52. Stitches: Concerns
 You can get stitches
wet if needed
 Some watery blood
leaking out is normal
 Call your vet if you
see deep red blood
dripping for more
than hour

53. Stitches: Avoid problems
 No climbing for a
week with abdominal
surgery
 Take out hammock
 Day 4-5 is when
stitches start to
dissolve
 Watch for problems

54. Stitches: Scabs
 If scabs keep forming
after a few days,
something is going on
(usually infection)
 Not always serious but
should be addressed
 Check with vet for
instructions

55. Stitches: Bulging is bad
 Soft and puffy
 Bulging out
 Red, hot, swollen
 A slight hard bulge is normal. You’re feeling
internal stitches

56. Stitches: If they rip open
 If you can see intestines, use sterile
gauze moistened with saline to wrap the
ferret. Transport immediately.
 If you only see flesh,
not as serious
 Call the vet for
instructions

57. Staples
 Usually heal quickly
 Sometimes will rotate as skin heals
 If loose, remove before they rotate
 Get a staple-remover on the Internet
 As they loosen, they can get caught on
things – no climbing!

58. Keep on top of things
 Keep a log
 List time & amount of feedings
 List time and amount of medications
 List changes in symptoms
 Take the log with you to the vet’s office
or have it next to the phone when you
call
 More information helps the vet know what
to do
 Know what the poop looks like

59. Elderly ferrets
 Keep track of:
 weight gain/loss
 temperature
 breathing
 activity level
 color of: skin, urine,
poop
 how much water
they are drinking
 what and how much
they eat

60. Rescues: Special concerns
 Dehydration
 Weight loss
 Ear mites
 Fleas, ticks
 Wounds
 Intestinal
parasites

61. Rescues: Special concerns
 Heat/cold
 Tooth damage
 ADV
 Distemper
 Quarantine!

62. Measuring, math and mixing

63. Measuring medication
 mL stands for milliliter
 1mL = 1cc
 Marks are 0.1, 0.2,
0.3, etc. So 0.5 is half
a mL
 Use the zero and the
decimal point – it
avoids confusion

64. Measuring medication
 Use the top of the
plunger
 This syringe is at 0.2mL

65. Measuring medication
 The arrow is pointing at
0.4mL

66. Measuring medication
 Here, the arrow is
pointing at 0.45 –
halfway between 0.4
and 0.5
 You would place the
top of the plunger at
that line

67. The math of medication
 mL = milliliter, wet measure
 mg = milligram, dry measure
 Know which one your vet is using

68. Know your pills
 The capsules are 250mg Amoxicillin
 The tablet is 875mg Amoxicillin

69. Compounding
Your vet prescribes 25mg Amoxicillin twice
a day. You have a 250mg capsule.
 Empty capsule into small container
 250mg capsule/25mg dose = 10 doses.
 Add 10mL of water and the dose is 1mL.
 If you add 5mL of water, the dose would be
0.5mL.

70. Compounding
Your vet prescribes 25mg Amoxicillin twice
a day. You have an 875mg tablet.
 Crush tablet (use two spoons, pill crusher or
mortar and pestle)
 875mg tablet/25mg per dose = 35 doses
 If you add 35mL of water, the dose is 1mL
 If you add 17.5mL of water (half), the dose is
0.5mL

71. Compounding
Your ferret needs 2mg of azathioprine (like
Imuran) once a day. You have a 50mg tablet.
You’re told it can be mixed with Lactulose.
 50mg tablet/2mg per dose gives you 25
doses
 If you mix in 25mL of Lactulose, the dose
would be 1mL. You can cut everything it in
half like we did with the Amoxicillin
 Grind the pill well and add just a little
Lactulose. Mix thoroughly. Slowly add the
rest, mixing well

72. Medication tips
 Unless told otherwise, store liquid medications in
refrigerator
 Once mixed, Amoxicillin is no good after 14 days
 If you don’t refrigerate, mixed Amoxicillin goes bad
after 24 hours
 Mix liquid medications before drawing up
 Certain meds don’t have to be mixed: Pediapred for
example
 Note the color – if it changes, the meds may be
bad
 Most pills stay good for a long time if kept dry

73. Serious problems
 Pale gums, ears, nose
 Heavy, labored or fast breathing
 Collapse/coma
 Yellow skin
 Orange or green urine
 Straining in litter box
 Bulging stitches

74. A few bloodwork norms from
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/physiology.htm
 Rectal temperature: 101-103
 PVC 45-60
 WBC (x103/mm3) 2.8-8.0
 BUN (mg/dl) 8-37
 Creatinine (mg/dl) 0.16-0.848
 BUN/Creatinine 10-457
 Total Protein (g/dl) 4.4-7.3
 Hemoglobin (g/dl) 13-18
 Albumin (g/dl) 2.5-4.17
 Globulin (g/dl) 1.8-2.9
 Total Bilirubin (mg/dl) 0.1-0.5
 ALT (IU/L) 13-176
 Glucose (fasted) (mg/dl) 65-164 (average: 100-110)

75. Sources
 Ferret Universe
 http://www.ferret-universe.com/
 Blood values
 Drugs used in ferrets
 Info on illnesses
 Miami Ferret, Ferret Health Care
 http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc
 Info on illnesses
 Other sources of good info:
 How to check ferret’s blood sugar
 http://www.unc.edu/~pjdutche/bloodsugar/

76. Duck soup: My recipe
 10 lb chicken legs
and thighs
 Put in crock pot,
cover with water and
cook for 24 hours or
until bones get soft
 Grind up solids in
food processor,
bones and all
 Add fat and some of
the juice to make
smooth
 Freeze in containers

77. Duck soup: Other versions
 1 can A/D and 2
jars chicken baby
food, water
 Ground up kibble,
a/d, chicken baby
food, water
 Chicken or turkey
baby food, water
 Look on the
Internet for ideas

78. Thank you!!