by debferret

STILL HOPE FOR SCRAPPY, CAGE MODIFICATION

It has been an emotional roller coaster with Scrappy! At the beginning of the week I was sure that I would have to let her go. Which ever position I put her in her hospital cage is where she stayed. She didn’t even move away from her bowel movement. She wouldn’t lift her head to look at me. I made the vet appointment for Thursday.

Until then, I continued with water therapy, stretching exercises and lots of cuddles. Her right shoulder remains dislocated. On Thursday morning, Scrappy would lift her head and her eyes would follow me. She could support her head while eating her duck soup. During the stretching exercises it became very evident that the whole right side of the body was compromised. The dislocated shoulder and the nerve compression all the way down to her right back leg. She cannot weight bear, but if you stroke the back of the leg she will move it forward.

Scrappy, 3 weeks after the accident

My vet took the x-rays on Thursday. She didn’t have a broken back. Nerve compression does not show on an x-ray,however her toe curling indicated nerve damage. Dr. Singh is not one to give up and so we went to plan C. We would do 6 deep tissue laser treatments. The MFA just couldn’t afford this but he kindly offered the treatments at 50% off. This is still a $150.00 touch which is a big bite out of our limited finances. Dr. Singh also suggested that we try giving her 4 drops a day of the children’s B complex formula. The B complex is a nerve tonic and will help with the necessary healing of the nerves. The gentleman at Sangsters didn’t bat an eye when I told him the B complex was for a ferret. Apparently years ago, his son owned a ferret! What a small world!

B complex to help with the nerve damage

So 2 laser treatments a week, daily B complex drops, water therapy, stretching exercises, prayers galore and just maybe this sweetie will pull through.

Meanwhile, I have 4 or 5 Ferret Nation cages with the second version shelving just like what Scrappy hurt herself on. It’s not like I have empty cages to move the ferrets into until the new plastic pans for the Ferret Nation cages arrive. I have been fretting like crazy. These cages were in use for several years before the injury and yet I am holding my breath praying no one else gets hurt before the shelves get here.

Now anyone who knows me well, knows that I can fix just about anything with 2 items. I am never without these items. Don’t laugh once you find out because by god they have saved many a day! If DUCT TAPE won’t hold it together, then bring on the drill and ZIP TIES. I have zip ties in black, green and white!

I have zip tied a castor back onto the base of a cage turning a useless donated cage into one that I am still using. I have zip tied J food hoppers to the cage so that ferrets don’t knock them over. I have zip tied shelving to the cage bars to keep them in place. I even zip tied the catch trays for all the litter boxes.

So, duct tape won’t work on the shelf edges as too many of the ferrets will chew on the tape and give themselves a blockage. So…… on to zip ties. How can I make the shelf safer for now. Well I could see the gap where the plastic insert the the metal cross piece left enough room for a paw to get trapped under. Drill a few holes for the zip ties and voila, no more gap! At least any ferret wanting to jump off the shelf into a hammock won’t catch their paws. There is still a small gap from the edge of the plastic to the frame but I can’t close that gap and not sure a paw would fit in the space.

plastic insert zip tied to the metal cross piece and closing the gap

I am hoping the new shelving arrives at Pembina, North Dakota in the next 7 to 10 days. Then I just have to pray the weather cooperates so I can drive down and pick them up!

I hope by next Friday, the 16th, I will have even better news!

01.04.15

by debferret

Update on Ferret Nation Shelving and Scrappy

First off I should mention that Scrappy is still eating and drinking but will not move around at all. The shoulder is still useless. Our vet told us it could take up to a month for the nerves to heal so I have my fingers crossed. We may have to consider amputation if things don’t change. I am just so grateful this little girl hasn’t given up.

This is Scrappy before her injury

Now, about the shelf. I want to say that the company has been very helpful. From the information I gleaned on line, I assumed that the shelf and plastic insert was the shelf that I was reading about. My shelf as posted is the company’s 2nd design in response to the injuries. They were very surprised and upset to hear that my ferret had injured herself with the 2nd designed shelf. So, all those injuries and deaths were NOT related to the shelf/plastic insert I posted. They immediately offered shelf covers at no cost. I know the covers are not expensive and I could have tried to make my own, but I have ferrets to care for and that is where my time and focus needs to be. The shelf covers will help and come in handy until we can purchase the more efficient(in my personal opinion) third design shelf pan.

Ferret Nation shelf with plastic insert- 2nd design

Now, they have a 3rd design which is the plastic pan with a lip. This design came about because of concerns for food and litter spilling off the shelf. Now I personally really like the idea of a plastic pan with a lip that fits over the shelf. Much easier to clean for someone with 5 Ferret Nation cages in the house. The soft shelf covers is a nice touch, but I have lots of bedding to wash every week as is and having to strip, wash and put the covers back on immediately is too labor intensive for a shelter long term. We were able to get a good price for the plastic pan with the lip, so we have ordered them. Ferret.com has them on sale right now.

3rd shelf design with a lip to catch crumbs and litter

So, I apologize for not having the full picture when I posted. I was so upset about my little girl and worrying about having to maybe put her down that I put 2 and 2 together and came up with 5! So in summary, if you have the pan with the plastic insert and it fits snugly to the edge of the frame, it is the second design not the original design.

3rd shelf design with a lip to catch crumbs and litter

So, I hope I have made things a little more clear. The second design should not have caused any issues and I hope Scrappy’s injury was a fluke. Please keep her in your prayers. There are 2 short videos on U-Tube of ferrets with a shoulder amputation; running around playing so that keeps me hopeful!

12.30.14

by debferret

FERRET NATION CAGE-DANGEROUS SHELVING

I can’t tell you yet if this story will have a happy ending but I am very optimistic because my vet has told me that Scrappy did not need to be put down. I am hoping the degree of her handicap will be minimal. Scrappy caught her left front paw in the shelf of her Ferret Nation cage.

I was not home when this happened so I do not know how long she struggled but the end result was that she freed herself. However in order to free herself, she literally pulled her shoulder out of its socket and even stretched the tendon. The left front shoulder and paw are now completely useless and fold in on her body. We have her on Pred. to help reduce the swelling. She is confined to a small cage to keep her from moving around. My first thought is yeah right, keep a healthy 4 year old girl” named Scrappy for a reason” immobile!! Well, she is in enough pain that she is not moving/trying to use the shoulder.

Before you jump all over me for not giving her pain medication, the reason as explained by my vet is this; she will stay off the limb, stay quiet and let the nerves heal. If she was numbed of the pain, she would try to play like she is used to. Crappy is not biting at me, not grinding her teeth or whimpering when handled. I feel she is coping very well with her situation.

I have tried water therapy and she lay in my hand looking up at me totally unimpressed, not doing anything. I am going to try again but for some ferrets, the water therapy is a bust!

Now, back to my reason for telling you all this! This accident did not need to happen. I take full responsibility. The MFA has 4 Ferret Nation cages. These cages were donated along with a surrendered ferret(s). I personally think the Ferret Nation cage is the Cadillac of cages. The large double doors make cage cleaning a breeze. The plastic floor pans are easy to slide out and clean. The shelves are nice and wide.

There is one problem. The older model #142 had a plastic insert instead of a plastic tray on the shelving. The plastic insert has a tiny gap and this is where ferrets were getting their front or back paws caught.

plastic insert

wire shelf without the plastic insert

Now after several ferrets actually died and many more were injured, the Ferret Nation shelf was modified. Anyone with the original shelf could contact the company and the replacement shelf would be sent out. My understanding is that the cage owner had to contact the company. I had read about this problem but at that time we did not have any Ferret Nation cages in the shelter. So, in one ear and out the other as the saying goes!

By the time we started getting Ferret Nation cages donated with ferrets I had completely forgotten about the shelving issue. In the last seven years we have received 4 Ferret Nation cages and until December 23rd we had never had a problem. I wish that I had contacted the company and requested the replacement pan even though I wasn’t the original owner. I previously had no time to go on line to Ferret.com to order treats(my friend looked after that for us) and so I did not see that they sold the replacement pan!

replacement shelf from Ferret.com

I have contacted the company, sent pictures at their request and now I am waiting to see if they will replace them free of charge because we are a shelter. If not, then I will be ordering the shelves and bite the bullet at the $200.00 cost.

I am grateful that Scrappy did not die from her injury. I don’t know how I would have coped with that guilt.

So, if you have a Ferret Nation #142 check your shelving. If you have the plastic insert, please don’t wait till something happens! Learn from my mistake!

10.29.14

by debferret

Molly update

Molly is my 6 year old surrender who has very much bonded with me. Two recent changes in his place at the shelter sent him into a tail spin. I not only changed his cage, I also moved him out of the shelter room. His reaction was a complete depression – he stopped eating!

I moved him into his familiar cage and moved the cage beside my bed; adding my used nightgown to his hammock so he knew his new Mommy was still with him.

Molly’s cage

I then started him on duck soup as he was rapidly loosing weight! Molly had not eaten for 48 hours and it showed! Molly had never had duck soup and oh boy oh boy, what a fight I had with him. The first few feedings saw me covered in the stuff as he gagged, shook his head, wiped himself all over my face and hair and fought me tooth and nail. I had to resort to syringe feeding him and he thanked me by peeing on me! Molly slowly accepted the duck soup. We graduated from syringe, to finger to baby spoon and last night when I offered him the dish of duck soup he stuck him tongue in and went to town! My little man had come around.

The weight loss is gone, the diarrhea is gone and he is once again doing his walkabouts! Yes he is still beside my bed! I can’t help it; I have to spoil him a little.

Molly loves his Mom

10.27.14

by debferret

Lost Ferret Protocol! What to do when your ferret goes missing!

You can’t find your ferret! You have just spent the last hour or two looking in every nook and cranny in your house or apartment! Your ferret was asleep behind the TV or so you thought when your company was leaving! Your ferret was asleep in the bedroom when you took out the garbageor when you opened the door for just a second!

Before starting your search outdoors, you will need the following:

Pictures of your ferret: the more recent the better it and who doesn’t have tons of pictures of their fur babies on their phone or laptop
Squeaky toy: that you have used to train your ferret to come to you with.
Treat bag: that you normally shake and he comes running for his treat
Flashlight: if it is after dark

Step One:

Leave the front door ajar slightly – in the off chance that your ferret will come home while you are out looking. Do this only if you have someone home to watch the door. I have gone looking outside; positive the ferret had escaped only to be greeted by said ferret at the door when I came home. You don’t want your ferret leaving the house while you are out looking! Stranger things have happened!
Call your ferret, squeak that toy, shake that bag of treats. Your neighbours will hear you even if your ferret doesn’t and you can alert them to the fact that you are looking for your lost ferret.
Check the perimeter of the house/apartment block. Ferrets instinctively avoid being out in the open
Check under bushes and shrubs.
Ask permission to check out garages that have their doors open
Check under decks, asking permission if you must go on someone else’s property.
Check in woodpiles, asking permission if you must go on someone else’s property.
Alert all your neighbours in a two or three block radius, north, east, south and west.
Enlist the neighbourhood children ages 7 or 8 and up to help you look. Show them a picture of your ferret. Tell them not to try and pick up the ferret but to call for help. Offer a small reward. Children know all the best hiding spots from playing hide and seek.
If you have multiple ferrets, take the lost ferret’s cage mate out on a leash and walk the neighbourhood. The scent of the cage mate you are walking may guide your lost ferret home.

Step Two:

Print up lost ferret notices and drop them in every mail box for 4 or 8 blocks in every direction. Yes, ferrets can travel that far!
Drop off a poster of your lost ferret to every pet store in the area
Drop off a poster of your lost ferret to every vet clinic in the area.
Call the Humane Society and alert them to your lost ferret
Call the MFA and alert them to your lost ferret (didn’t think I should have to put this one in, but, for those who were to upset to think, just a gentle reminder that folks will often call us to come capture or pick up a lost ferret.)
Call the local radio station that does lost alerts
Use social media to alert them of your lost ferret. Lost Dog Alert will post regarding lost ferrets. use every lost alert facebook page you can reach

Step Three:

Take your ferret’s carrier (with food, water and blanket) or cage if possible and set it outside by the door. The smell of food and his blanket just might help guide him home.
Some folks will offer a reward and this is something to consider
Retrace your steps, checking the same areas several times. A friend of mine was following her ferret’s paw prints in the snow. They went around the house and back and around again. She stopped and looked behind her to see her ferret had been following her. So, your ferret may be following your scent.