Mile High Ferret Club: Ferret Health Fair

1
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Ferret First Aid Kit
• Regular veterinarians phone number
• ______________________
• Emergency veterinarians phone number
• ______________________
• Directions to both facilities
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________

2
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Ferret First Aid Kit
• Nutrical (high calorie paste)
• Bandage Materials
• Gauze
• Medical or kinesio Tape
• Vet wrap
• Telfa pads
• Antibiotic Ointment
• Eye wash or drops
• Thermometer (normal ferret temp 100 to 104 0F)
• KY to lube thermometer
• Syringes in different sizes
• Flush wound
• Feeding
• Medications
• Peroxide (once open, short effective
  disenfectant, replace after opening)
• Quick stop (blood clotting powder)
• Tweezers
• Cotton balls

3
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Ferret Manicures
• Frequency of clipping every 2 weeks
• Approaching nail trimming
• Scruff method
• Distract method
• Sneak attack
• View ferrets nails (long, curving, dagger like)
• Back nails tend to be shorter
• Nails are white, the quick or vein is easy to see
• Cut just to the quick
• Cutting into the pink or blood areas is painful

4
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Ferret Manicures
• Trimming Ferret nails
• Take your thumb and first finger and hold the paw
  close to the toes with your thumb on the bottom
  of the paw
• Use the gentle pressure of your thumb to spread
  the toes
• Clip as much of the white nail tip off as you
  can, leaving some white after the quick
• Make sure you are using proper cutters and sharp
  cutters
• Replace every year or sharpen yearly
• Avoid twising the nail as you cut
• Cut up the radius of the nail

5
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Dental Health
• Gum disease or periodontal disease occurs with
  great frequency in fuzzies
• Signs of periodontal disease
• Loose teeth
• Discolored teeth
• Stinky breath
• Red, inflamed or receding gums
• Drooling
• Mouth ulcers
• Difficulty eating or playing with toys
• Tartar and plaque buildup
• Refusal to let you touch teeth or gums
• Lymphoma changes the pH in the mouth
• Varying diet to include soft, hard food

6
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Dental Health
• Teeth colors, what does it mean?
• Grayish or greenish discoloration is tartar
• Tartar buildup leads to tooth decay, icky brown
  on the tooth and close to the gum line
• Decaying teeth can lead to serious infections,
  removal is recommended
• Gum appearance
• Smooth, moist and pink
• Whitish, gray color, your fuzzy is very sick,
  visit to a vet a must!
• Ulcers on the gum or inside of the lip falp is a
  common sign of insulinoma
• Make sure to plan yearly dental exams with vet
  and have tartar removed

7
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Dental Care
• What to brush with
• Invest in a cat bush or use a piece of gauze
  wrapped around your finger
• You can try cat toothpaste
• NEVER use human toothpaste, ingredients in human
  toothpaste is considered poisonous to fuzzies
• How to brush
• Lift the gum and gently wipe the teeth with the
  dry gauze or toothbrush
• Gently go over the gums
• Pay particular attention the gum line
• Attempt every 2 weeks
• Always reward with a treat!

8
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Ear Cleaning
• What is normal?
• Normal ferret earwax is light brown or reddish
  brown
• Can be pretty stinky
• Ear Mites
• Dark brown or black discharge
• Ferret tens to scratch relentlessly
• Not sure, take your fuzzy to the vet and have the
  wax cultured

9
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Ear Cleaning
• Supplies tons of q-tips and liquid ear cleanser
• Purchase from vet or pet store. Use solution for
  kittens if needed
• Cleaning
• Start with a few drops of the cleaner in the ear,
  massage the ear and donn goggles.
• Fuzzy will do half the cleaning by shaking
  his/her head
• Dip cotton swap in room temp or slightly warm ear
  cleaning solution
• This is a two person operation
• Use a circular motion, making contact with the
  inner walls and crevices while gently pulling the
  top of the ear upward
• Repeat with moistened versus dry swab in circular
  fashion
• Repeat until the swabs are clean
• Warning, never reuse a dirty swab and never place
  used swabs into the cleaning liquid

10
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Bully Behavior
• Personal Notes

11
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• How to stop Biting
• Personal notes

12
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Ferret Evacuation Kit
• Think first aid kit and temporary home
• Additional pet carrier
• Bag filled with the following
• Blankets, a sleep sack, toys, treats
• Filtered water bottles
• Ferret food, nutrical, baby food
• Copies of ferret health, shots, contact
  information
• Harness

13
Mile High Ferret Club Ferret Health Fair

• Feeding a sick Fuzzy
• Personal Notes