ill ferret

[brassneck 128]

hello there , looking for some advice on my jill , not well at all . went down over night , breathing heavyily and rapid . cant stand ,walk,, feed anything . no discharge from eyes nose etc just curled up awake. ive bought her inside as its a bit cold , refusing food and water , and ideas please .

she hasnt been worked recently , or been by any new ferrets, also seems very thin

[Jamie m 668]

Vets

[Malt 379]

Keep it warm and try to keep it hydrated until you can get it to a vet. Use a dropper or childs medicine syringe to give it a few drops of water now and then, even if it's only wetting the ferrets mouth and it licks the moisture. Ferrets go down hill very, very quickly, so time is really of the essence with regards to getting it to the vet. In my experience, even with medical intervention they don't stand much of a chance once they go past a certain point, and it's hard to tell if a ferret is loosing weight over a period without physically checking them this time of year with their winter coats.

[brassneck 128]

Vets

yea i be on me way soon i think mate

[lksopener 105]

Vets straight away.

[Malt 379]

Vets

 

Vets straight away.

 

I agree lads, but is that all folk can think to reply with on these threads? It's not always practical to get an animal straight to the vet and with things like ferrets which we all know fly downhill rapidly, experienced ferret keepers should at least be able to give some help on how best to handle a sick animal until such time as it can be taken to a vet..

[lksopener 105]

True malt but as you have said keeping it warm and hydrated is about the best you can do.

 

Ferrets go down hill rapidly so the quicker you can get on to a vet the better.

 

Liam

[tote 856]

Vets

 

Vets straight away.

 

I agree lads, but is that all folk can think to reply with on these threads? It's not always practical to get an animal straight to the vet and with things like ferrets which we all know fly downhill rapidly, experienced ferret keepers should at least be able to give some help on how best to handle a sick animal until such time as it can be taken to a vet..

 

That's what I was thinking malt, easy answer is to post "vets" but in some instances it's not possible to get to the vets right away so someone on here with past experiences could give some pointers of what can be done untill the ferret can be taken to a vets.

[Malt 379]

True malt but as you have said keeping it warm and hydrated is about the best you can do.

 

Ferrets go down hill rapidly so the quicker you can get on to a vet the better.

 

Liam

 

 

I wasn't having a go at anybody, just get fed up of the stock "Get it to the vets" answer that people type without thinking. For me it's indicative of the way things are gone these days. I think it's about responsibility and people wanting as little as possible for their animals. A vet is the best person to deal with an ill animal, as long as they're clued up on the animal in question, but as a responsible keeper I think every animal owner should be armed with the basic knowledge when it comes to illnesses & injuries..

[brassneck 128]

thanks for the input guys , got ferret to vets asap this morning , couldnt diagnose anything specific , left the jill with them , just had a call its now dead , no good .

have 1 hob left who seems fine at moment , asked vet for advice and tbf she didnt realy have any . im now going to put hob some where a bit warmer , disinfectect ferret housing and keep my fingers crossed .

[Malt 379]

thanks for the input guys , got ferret to vets asap this morning , couldnt diagnose anything specific , left the jill with them , just had a call its now dead , no good .

have 1 hob left who seems fine at moment , asked vet for advice and tbf she didnt realy have any . im now going to put hob some where a bit warmer , disinfectect ferret housing and keep my fingers crossed .

 

Sorry to hear that mate, but if I'm honest I wasn't really expecting any other outcome when I read your original post.

 

I've been in your situation before, and if I ever am again with a ferret in a serious way, I'll act to ease it's passing rather than see it continue to suffer with no hope of recovery..

[Jamie m 668]

Vets

 

Vets straight away.

 

I agree lads, but is that all folk can think to reply with on these threads? It's not always practical to get an animal straight to the vet and with things like ferrets which we all know fly downhill rapidly, experienced ferret keepers should at least be able to give some help on how best to handle a sick animal until such time as it can be taken to a vet..

Without seeing tge animal in tge flesh it's not easy to say malt ; ) , could be a load of things ,

How old was the Jill ?????

Was the Jill spayed ??????

What has it been fed lately ??????

Was the hutch nice and dry inside ?????

You could go on typing forever , lol

Sorry it didn't make it ,

[brassneck 128]

the jill was this years young , about 8months , out of my best working jill , there kept outside with indoor sleeping area with there bedding in , eat mainly raw rabbit, chicken,pigeon etc .

my remaining hob appears fine .

[Malt 379]

Without seeing tge animal in tge flesh it's not easy to say malt ; ) , could be a load of things ,

How old was the Jill ?????

Was the Jill spayed ??????

What has it been fed lately ??????

Was the hutch nice and dry inside ?????

You could go on typing forever , lol

Sorry it didn't make it ,

 

 

I understand what you're saying, but what would you with to one of your ferrets if you couldn't drop everything and rush it straight to the vet? All I'm saying is just taking the time to think before posting a reply is more helpful than simply typing the bog standard 'take it to a vet' reply which seems to have become the norm on here..

[brassneck 128]

i did take it to vets as soon as humanly possible , but yes i wanted to no what i could do in mean time and also if my hob starts to show the same signs, so thanks again for replys