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Post by katt on Apr 6, 2010 17:16:02 GMT -5
I am going to put him in a little wire cage, at least for the day, because his cage is Soooo hard to clean there is no way I could get it sterile enough. I am still getting the FN cage tomorrow so I can clean that out super well and move him to that. The vet just called!!!! She said that he did really well and is starting to wake up. They gave him sub Q fluids, and fluids in his stomach. They didn't find the rest of the lizard (may have been in the poop I dissected in little pieces, I found some parts that I though were the rest but not totally sure) but they did remove the rest of the pink eraser, and some white, cylindrical rubber that she said looked like eraser also. Not sure what THAT is as I have no white erasers, but my best guess is he ran off with some of my mechanical pencils. I am going to go visit him after lab and bring him his bunny and maybe a blanket but he is staying at the vets overnight free of charge. I will bring my fuzzy baby home tomorrow. Not sure on the cost of everything yet - she called me right after surgery before she had a chance to calculate it out instead of making me wait while she did that. No sense in worrying about it no though, it is all said and done and I am going to have to pay it regardless of the cost. She kept the stomach contents so I will post pics later of that, as well as his surgery incision and such. I hope for a quick recovery! I want my happy little fuzzball back! I have skimmed through the Post Op care sticky, and I will read it in more depth later, but is there anything else I should know or be aware of? Is it ok to feed duck soup meat-mush with squash (baby food) in it, or would the fiber just hurt his belly more than it would clean it out? How long should I feed him mush before putting him back on whole food? Thank you guys for being here to support me and answer my questions!!!! And for not being judgmental and pointing fingers! Your support is very much appreciated - and needed. Thank you! I will post an update after I see him at the vet's.
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Post by katt on Apr 6, 2010 20:14:00 GMT -5
He looks soooo sad!!!! I wish I could bring him home and snuggle him but I know it will be better to leave him there overnight, they are really good, and I need time to sterilize a cage and get stuff ready for him and what not. I stopped to see him and give him a blanket and stuffed bunny and check in on him. He was still groggy from the anesthesia and was all squinty eyed and sleepy. He was trying really hard to stay awake though and seemed to be doing ok. He was trembling soo hard! The nurse said he was a lot more calm and relaxed when I was there. I guess he has been a little terror and biting anyone who goes in his cage - not that I blame him! He is probably so disoriented and confused and hurting! His belly is all shaved and gross and naked looking. It looks clean and everything though and like it will heal well. He has a VERY nasty looking scar though - like an elongated, twisted outie belly button! We will see how that heals up. I am so sad - I hope it doesn't ruin his cute zipper! A silly thing to worry about I know, but still! Anyways, I am going to get things all cleaned and ready for him tonight and pick him up in the morning. I will take pics of it all and post another update. Is there anything special I need to know for when I bring him home/getting ready for him?
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Post by mustelidmusk on Apr 6, 2010 22:25:22 GMT -5
Yes, there are a couple of thigs you eeed to know..... when you go to the vet's, do the followig 1. Bring a pencil and paper 2. Ask the followig: * what do I feed? * how much? *how often? * for how many days? (If your vet is anti raw an tells you to feed kibble, use the meat baby food and add some freeze-dried raw. This will contain less bacteria that regular raw - less bacteria may be good with incision in the digestive tract. write all this down ----it's so easy to be freaked out and excited over the whole ordeal that you get home and can't remember the details. 3. Ask about hydration - has he been give a sub-Q before you take in home? 4. ask about the possibility of seepage fro the wound - what to expect. when it's a possible problem 5. REMEMBER that the grogginess and lookig sad/squinty-eyed is probably due to a big shot of pain meds! Ask if pain meds were given and how fast you should start to expect more normal behavior. 6. Ask about recheck/stiches removal - schedule the appt. before you leave the office - my vet does ot charge for this. 7. You may be given some antibiotics - be sure to follow the instructions ad give ALL the meds as prescribed. 8. The hard part - let your fert sleep. healing happens durig sleep! 9. On the pad of paper - write down a list of all your questions, including those above. You will be so happy to hold your baby that your brain will be mush . Then you'll get home and have tons of questions such as the ones above. About the incision - sounds like a good job on the sutures....those big crooked, "lumped up" icisions look like crap, but they heal just fie and they hold well umnder the abuse they'll probably but put through i a couple of days. There are internal sutures along the muscle as well - so, ye it looks really awful right now. My first two boys had multiple abdominal surgeries, and their zippers grew back beautifully Good luck with the recovery. Sounds like he'll do well. -jennifer
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Post by Heather on Apr 6, 2010 23:46:43 GMT -5
Poor wee one. Something is going to have to be done about his oral fixations If they're not going to be the death of him, they're going to be the death of you His healing candle is lit and burning brightly, but tell him please that I'm going to have to buy a whole box of candles just for him if he keeps eating all your stuff. Good luck wee one. Get well soon ciao
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Post by katt on Apr 7, 2010 0:22:56 GMT -5
mustelidmusk: Thank you! That is very helpful and I will do just that! That is good to know about the sutures - and his zipper too! Poor wee one. Something is going to have to be done about his oral fixations If they're not going to be the death of him, they're going to be the death of you His healing candle is lit and burning brightly, but tell him please that I'm going to have to buy a whole box of candles just for him if he keeps eating all your stuff. Good luck wee one. Get well soon ciao Thank you! You are telling Me! Is there something I can give him to chew on? I mean he gets bone-in meat and whole meat and N-bones (which he eats in less than a minute I swear!) and stuff. I don't get it - ferrets imprint on their food and will not eat anything else without a lot of trouble and time, but they seem to eat everything else! I just RE-ferret proofed my boyfriends room and we found a solution to him getting on the desk and in the trash (we had it up high where he couldn't reach it - until the other day). When I get home I will tackle my room, or as much of it as I can tonight anyways. He won't be free roaming anytime soon bc he needs to heal. I have to decide tomorrow if I want to pick him up BEFORE or AFTER my class. Class is at 11:30-12:45, so probably before - but I don't know how I will pay attention (though I need to - there is a test soon!) while my baby is at home and in pain! I can't skip this class though. At least it is my only one tomorrow. Is it ok to put him in the smaller cage-and then the new FN minus shelves and ramps, even though it is different? I just feel like it will be safer for him cleanliness wise...
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Post by katt on Apr 7, 2010 0:33:16 GMT -5
And he will be less able to climb it as it is maybe 2 feet tall instead of 5 lol
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Post by katt on Apr 7, 2010 3:59:35 GMT -5
mustelidmusk (and anyone else) do you have any pictures of your guys' scars? Perhaps a progression? Like what they looked like when they came home, a few days, a few weeks, and totally healed? So that I kind of have an idea. It will help to kind of see it, and to see what it will look like all healed. It just looks so terrible now! And his poor naked belly! It is so sad! It looks ugly and cold and very strange...I prefer fuzzy bellies. lol
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Post by mustelidmusk on Apr 7, 2010 8:49:13 GMT -5
Unfortunately, I have o picyures....but the same type of incision is done for spay o late alters.....you never hear of fert owners complaining about bad scars and "broken zippers" .
The shaved belly is kind of shocking, but it will start growig in soon. And once your fuzzy starts bouncing around again, the mental association between the whole ordeal and the shaved belly/incision won't be early as intense. Ferrets heal pretty quickly. But I hate those shaved bellies too - it really triggers a mental stress for me because it brings back memories of my first two ferrets that had numerous surgeries throughout their lives. My current raw-fed babies have ot had any surgeries (so far) other than spay neuter.
ANother thing you'll hate... your fert may smell kind of perfumy or chemically from whe the clean him up pre ad post surgery. This wears off quickly, but he may smell different as he heals. Stress produces chemical/hormonal changes, and the net result is stronger odor. This is all very natural.
-jennifer
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Post by katt on Apr 7, 2010 13:45:45 GMT -5
Thanks! Koda is finally home! He looks Soooo much better now that he is not doped up on narcotics! haha you'd think nothing happened the way he just wants to come play. But it is cage time for him for a few days. The vet said to feed him mush (sooo Duck Soup) for about 7-10 days with no bone or anything obviously. He is allowed to travel between houses, but I think we will wait at least a week for that. I got pictures of the X-Ray and was given his stomach contents. Pink and white eraser. I guess everything was pretty empty up to the rubber - no more outgoing pops or anything - so it sounds like he had pooped out most of it and was up to the blockage. The white stuff is definitely mechanical pencil eraser. I gave him a bunch of pencils with no lead or eraser to stash bc he likes them so much, but he still likes to steal ours. The FN cage is coming tonight!!!! YAAAAY!!!! So I will get that cleaned up and ready to go, but for now he is in my roommate's small chinchilla cage that I sterilized for him (don't worry the Chin has a bigger cage, he is just being temporarily separated from her other chin bc they were fighting) and the chin is in Koda's cage. I will posit pictures tonight - I have to leave for OChem in a few min so I don't have time now. In one day Koda has managed to cost me $1000 lol Oh well, he is worth every penny and more I just wish I had MORE money to spend on him and buy him all of the best, coolest ferret toys and tunnels and bedding ever. lol
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Post by mustelidmusk on Apr 7, 2010 22:07:46 GMT -5
I'm so glad to hear he's doing well. You need to give him the opportunity to get a little bit of exercise outside the cage. The very best would be to let him out for about 15-20 minutes every couple of hours if he's awake. If you have surgery these days, they usually make you walk the next day. The reason for this is to mitigate the risk of blood clots, get nutrients to the cells to expedite healing, and to keep the muscles around the incision as well as related muscles from becoming extra stiff ad painful. I you're afarid your boy will be too rambuctious, you can bring him ito the bathroom(restricted space) for gentle play session. Once Koda has recovered..... Since he is such a little booger about eating everything, you'll probably want to supervise him closely when he's out of his cage. Many ferrets chew fabric when caged. I highly recommend foraging cups as a distraction. Freeze-dried raw diet chunks such as stella & chewies patties can be broken up ad put in the cups. Be sure to provide a dark den inside the cage - even a cardboard box taped up with a weasel-sized hole cut in it is good. put soft blankies inside for snugglig and burrowig. This should help reduce stress/boredom in the cage. It's posible that fabri chewing is stress-related. By the way, the very best ferret blankies (at least in my opinion) are simple pieces of cut fleece with NO hems. I swear that finished edges attract chewers. The finished edge are hicker and have threa that can snag, etc. A raw-cut edge is much less interesting to a chewer. Fleece ca be bought very cheaply as remnants at fabric stores. Iv'e founnd that the Hobby Lobby in my area has the cheapest, best fleece remnants. Yes, the den on the floor does take up space in the cage. If you use zip ties to secure the den to the side of the cage , you can remove a ramp and ley him use the den as a step to get to the shelf. When your finances recover you may want to invest in a hangig den that has a door flap on it. I HIGHLY recommend Snoopy's Snugglers made by Sandy Gammage. She tests for ADV all the time. ALthough her stuff is not the cheapest available, her products have no ragged seams/exposeed thread or any other chracteristics attractive to chewers and/or catching claws. Sandy is VERY particular about her work. She uses very high-quality materials, her designs are beautifully eningeered to provde the most "ferret-proofed", sturdiest bedding available. You can order any item(s) you want. She has ready-made items on her site, and she periodically posts items/sets on ebay. If you do a google search on snoopy's snugglers, you'll find a reference to Sandy's website ad ebay store. Here's the link to her web site: ferretsheartnsoul.com/ again, there's othig a ferret can chew on the inside of her tents!!! I sew and donate beddg to shelters. I o loger sew for my own brats because Sady's beding is the very best, ferret-appropriate bedding available anywhere! Also, you need to know that you did a great job monitoring Koda and did not delay any decisions in his time of need. There are times when even the most experieced ferret owers lose ferrets to accidents - that's life. But had you not been on top of everything activity and every poop every step of the way, you could have easily lost Koda. You're an awesome fert mom, and you were very lucky to be able to save Koda's life. We all need to remid ourselves that remember that accidets do happen every day - even if they don't involve ferrets. Hugs to you and Koda -jennifer
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Post by katt on Apr 8, 2010 3:21:36 GMT -5
I'm so glad to hear he's doing well. You need to give him the opportunity to get a little bit of exercise outside the cage. The very best would be to let him out for about 15-20 minutes every couple of hours if he's awake. If you have surgery these days, they usually make you walk the next day. The reason for this is to mitigate the risk of blood clots, get nutrients to the cells to expedite healing, and to keep the muscles around the incision as well as related muscles from becoming extra stiff ad painful. I you're afarid your boy will be too rambuctious, you can bring him ito the bathroom(restricted space) for gentle play session. Once Koda has recovered..... Since he is such a little booger about eating everything, you'll probably want to supervise him closely when he's out of his cage. Many ferrets chew fabric when caged. I highly recommend foraging cups as a distraction. Freeze-dried raw diet chunks such as stella & chewies patties can be broken up ad put in the cups. Be sure to provide a dark den inside the cage - even a cardboard box taped up with a weasel-sized hole cut in it is good. put soft blankies inside for snugglig and burrowig. This should help reduce stress/boredom in the cage. It's posible that fabri chewing is stress-related. By the way, the very best ferret blankies (at least in my opinion) are simple pieces of cut fleece with NO hems. I swear that finished edges attract chewers. The finished edge are hicker and have threa that can snag, etc. A raw-cut edge is much less interesting to a chewer. Fleece ca be bought very cheaply as remnants at fabric stores. Iv'e founnd that the Hobby Lobby in my area has the cheapest, best fleece remnants. Yes, the den on the floor does take up space in the cage. If you use zip ties to secure the den to the side of the cage , you can remove a ramp and ley him use the den as a step to get to the shelf. When your finances recover you may want to invest in a hangig den that has a door flap on it. I HIGHLY recommend Snoopy's Snugglers made by Sandy Gammage. She tests for ADV all the time. ALthough her stuff is not the cheapest available, her products have no ragged seams/exposeed thread or any other chracteristics attractive to chewers and/or catching claws. Sandy is VERY particular about her work. She uses very high-quality materials, her designs are beautifully eningeered to provde the most "ferret-proofed", sturdiest bedding available. You can order any item(s) you want. She has ready-made items on her site, and she periodically posts items/sets on ebay. If you do a google search on snoopy's snugglers, you'll find a reference to Sandy's website ad ebay store. Here's the link to her web site: ferretsheartnsoul.com/ again, there's othig a ferret can chew on the inside of her tents!!! I sew and donate beddg to shelters. I o loger sew for my own brats because Sady's beding is the very best, ferret-appropriate bedding available anywhere! Also, you need to know that you did a great job monitoring Koda and did not delay any decisions in his time of need. There are times when even the most experieced ferret owers lose ferrets to accidents - that's life. But had you not been on top of everything activity and every poop every step of the way, you could have easily lost Koda. You're an awesome fert mom, and you were very lucky to be able to save Koda's life. We all need to remid ourselves that remember that accidets do happen every day - even if they don't involve ferrets. Hugs to you and Koda -jennifer Thanks! That makes me feel a lot better. I have just been feeling absolutely terrible about the whole ordeal. I am very glad that he made it through though and just hope that he recovers with NO hitches or complications. :S What should I do about a snuggle den? I just made one and put it in there for him, but he kept climbing up on it, so I took it off bc he is not supposed to climb - right? I am not sure what to do about a littler box either...he moves paper towels I put down and goes on the floor and I do NOT want to start any bad potty habits in the new cage, esp bc he normally does so well. I put his usual litter box in there (it is a kitten box) and he seems to get in and out of it ok, and used it right away even though it had been bleached and cleaned and what not and probably no longer smelled like potty. Also, I didn't even think to ask this at the vets and I don't know why. What should I expect for potty habits? I have been feeding him a blended up mush of chicken meat, meat baby food, squash baby food, and a little olive oil, and water. I just brought him home this morning and they had not fed him, and I have been trying to feed him every few hours, just whatever he wants to eat. He ate quite a bit a few hours after being home, and a decent amount a few hours later. He has peed at least twice, and I THINK he pooped once. It was a small little runny greenish brownish glop. When can I expect him to poop? He needs to poop soon - and have a normal poop - or I will never be able to stop stressing! I also forgot to ask the vet (I DID write down all of my questions...but I was VERY tired and only added a few to the ones you gave me): How and how often should I clean the surgery site? What do I do if he is scratching and biting at it? I feel so bad leaving him in the cage, but my room is nowhere near ready for him again yet. I just piled everything in the middle of my room. lol And I don't trust bathrooms with him this early post surgery and the wound so fresh...I know what kinds of germs are in there even when it is freshly cleaned! haha Gross! Thank you Microbiology lab for destroying my confidence in the cleanliness of many things...and the effectiveness of many cleaners and antibiotics.
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Post by katt on Apr 8, 2010 4:12:45 GMT -5
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Post by katt on Apr 8, 2010 4:22:20 GMT -5
More Naked Belly (No I was not strangling him, he was trying to steal my ring from my finger haha You would think nothing happens the way he acts. And him in his new FN cage You can see the litter box on the left and on the floor in front, the snuggle box I mentioned. Will those be ok? The litter box at least? Or do I need to take it back out? How can I anchor paper towels if I need to take it out?
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Post by katt on Apr 8, 2010 4:38:20 GMT -5
Oh yes, and he is on amoxicillin and metacam.
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Post by katt on Apr 8, 2010 12:40:56 GMT -5
He pooped! A pretty normal looking poop too! Yay!
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