Our ferret companions are very resilient creatures, and with each one I observe in the course of providing shelter and medical rehabilitation I am amazed at how they tend to bounce right back from a surgical procedure. In most cases, ferrets will be up and about in short order, but there are some factors to keep in mind when assessing and gauging your ferret's recovery from surgery.

First, a ferret recovers best when he has been well nourished. Healing faster and being resilient are the results you can expect when your ferret has been eating a healthy diet and fewer -- if any -- sweet treats. A lesser or inadequate diet may indeed give the ferret a weaker immune system and provide less healing energy, thus making the recovery time longer. As with humans, an obese ferret may take longer to heal from a surgical procedure than a ferret of average weight; more fatty tissue means more layers to heal, and sometimes the ferret who is obese may even have underlying heart (health) conditions. For these reasons your veterinarian will want to perform a physical examination and perhaps blood work prior to surgery to determine whether there are any underlying health conditions. That being said, let's move on to the topic of surgery and what we can expect for a reasonable postoperative period.

Get All The Details

During the pre-surgery evaluation visit, make sure you discuss the average expected recovery time with your ferret's veterinarian. Though in the end your ferret's case may have some particularities of its own, knowing what to expect in general will help you plan the recovery period. Some surgeries require extensive recovery periods and perhaps days of supportive care, while the recovery periods for most surgical procedures are just a few days at best, with little special care. The duration of your ferret's recovery will be determined by the type of surgical procedure, the duration of illness before surgery, and, most importantly, the age and condition of the ferret. Keep in mind that older ferrets will have a longer recovery period than will younger ferrets.

A ferret should be fasted (have no food) for four (4) hours prior to surgery except for a few procedures. Make sure you discuss this with your veterinarian, fasting for longer periods of time may inhibit the anesthesia recovery. With some medical conditions (for example, insulinoma) a longer fasting period can create additional problems.

The anesthesia of choice for ferrets is isoflurane or sevoflurane gas, which is safer for ferrets than other types of anesthesia. The veterinarian has enough control over the gas to give only the amount needed for the individual patient, which means that the ferret is less likely to have a drawn-out recovery from the anesthesia. Keep in mind, however, that ferrets undergoing long surgeries will be under anesthesia longer and will likely take longer to recovery completely from the anesthesia.

For older ferrets needng soft tissue procedures with longer duration, some veterinarians find that by placing the ferret in an oxygen bed for 15 mins prior to and then again for 15 following surgery , helps to clear the anesthesia from the blood and helps in the post surgical recovery.

Medications

Many times your veterinarian will send your ferret home with medication after surgery. If your ferret is sent home with medication make sure to get explicit instructions for administering the medication. Make sure you understand the dosage and for how long you should give the medication. It is very important to administer the medication for as many days as your veterinarian has prescribed (this is especially true with antibiotics) and at the recommended times -- this will prevent any chance of infection or other complications.

Because missed doses and overmedication pose serious problems, it is imperative to make sure you understand all the details about giving these medications before you leave the veterinary hospital or clinic. If you have questions after you've gotten home, call your veterinarian right away to clear up anything you don't understand. Some medications need to be given before food intake (on an empty stomach), others following food intake (on a full stomach). Some of the medications that need to be given on a full stomach are bitter or may cause stomach upset. Administering these medications on an empty stomach may cause vomiting or gagging, which could strain the surgical wound or other tissues which need to heal.

It is difficult to administer some types of medication to ferrets, especially in pill form, because they are bitter tasting. Check with your veterinarian about what you can or cannot use to flavor the medication. Although most ferrets love Ferretone, it may or may not be appropriate to use as a mask for a bad-tasting medication due to its oil content. Likewise, Nutrical has a high fat content, which might interfere with the absorption of the medication. Please remember to always check with your veterinarian, this will help to ensure your ferret gets the most out of his recovery!

Housing for Recovery

Once your ferret returns home after surgery you will want to keep him/her quiet for several days or more. Confine your ferret to a single-level area or cage. You will want to make sure that the cage has no sharp edges on which the ferret might catch his stitches. A cage with a plastic bottom and removable wire top can work very well as a cage for recovery. If your ferret has had abdominal surgery, he will find it hard to climb in and out of the litter box. Provide an easy-entrance litter box with low sides or incline ramp. If neither of these is available, consider making a litter area by folding and lining a corner or end of the cage with clean newspaper -- if you choose this option be prepared to change the newspaper often and keep things very clean and dry!

Keep all blankets and litter material in the recovery cage very clean. If the ferret has external stitches, do not provide lamb's wool bedding or other bedding that may catch on the sutures. Soft T-shirts or sweats are good options. Usually ferrets keep each other warm, but since the recovering ferret is isolated from other ferrets, you need to make sure he has enough blankets to stay warm. Allowing too much activity too soon after surgery may cause some serious problems, especially for ferrets who have undergone surgery on the right adrenal gland. Too much activity following these procedures has been known to cause hemorrhaging and death. With other surgeries, unmonitored or uncontrolled activity can result in bleeding or seepage at the incision site, excess bruising, and other conditions that could prolong the healing process or cause irritations and possibly infections. Ferrets don't always know what's best for themselves when it comes to activity after surgery; younger ferrets might be inclined to feel well and want to play sooner than is safe for them.

For the first few days following your ferret's surgery it is advisable to house the ferret away from cage mates -- this will ensure the other ferrets don't try to clean, lick, or otherwise disturb the surgical area. Such interaction could well cause irritation or, worse, infection. However, since ferrets are social animals, you may want to allow brief, closely supervised, visits with one of the recovering ferret's cage mates (preferably a calm one) after the first day. This can help ease the stress of separation that many ferrets experience. Keeping the isolation cage next to the ferret's regular cage can also help to reassure him that his ferret family is nearby. You will also want to talk to and pet your ferret -- being careful of the surgical wound -- so he does not become lonely. Depression in postoperative ferrets can become a very real concern. Once the surgical wound is on the way to healing, dry (not draining), scabbed over or healed, then -- upon veterinary recommendation -- the ferret maybe returned to his usual residence, providing he is allowed to climb ramps, climb into hammocks, and do all the ferrety things he did prior to the surgical procedure.

Types of Surgeries

Non-Invasive Surgeries

Non-invasive type surgeries include procedures such as neuter (castration), skin tag or surface cyst removal, skin tumor removal, some biopsies, and dental cleaning and teeth scaling, to mention a few. Most non-invasive surgeries take only a few minutes; therefore, the anesthesia exposure is minimal. Ferrets can be expected to recover quickly and may be eating by the time you pick them up at the veterinarian's office! A ferret that is still recovering from anesthesia may experience some dizziness or nausea; therefore, do not hurry your ferret to eat immediately following any surgical procedure. It is best to make sure the ferret is fully awake and alert and able to keep down water before you give the ferret dry food or even gruel. Nausea from anesthesia may cause a ferret fed too early to regurgitate and possibly choke or inhale the partially digested food. Make sure to confirm with the veterinarian when it is advisable to feed your ferret.

Invasive Surgeries

Invasive procedures are those which involve operating on deep tissues. Some of the more common invasive procedures include spay, splenectomy (spleen removal), pancreatic procedures, adrenalectomies, more invasive biopsy procedures, stomach or intestinal blockage surgery, hernia repair, and stomach biopsies.

Following a gastrointestinal surgery it is imperative that you check with your veterinarian regarding how long the ferret should be fasted. Some stomach procedures heal best when the ferret does not have food for a designated period of time after surgery. However, medications and fluids are usually administered during the fast. In most cases, your veterinarian will keep the ferret at the hospital during this time. However, you must still check with your veterinarian regarding when your ferret can have food and what kind of food is recommended.

Postoperative Nutrition

For many types of surgical procedures, the ferret does not need to be fasted after surgery. The ferret usually is discharged after anesthesia recovery when the veterinarian ascertains that food and fluid intake is permitted and tolerated by the ferret. Expect the first few stools (bowel movements) from a postoperative patient to look a bit unusual in color and texture. This occurs because of stress related to the procedure, anesthetics and hospitalization or as a direct result of the procedure. If unusual stools continue, keep in touch with your veterinarian. Remember, if the ferret is not eating, not much will pass through the opposite end. Keep this in mind if your ferret has not eaten (or has eaten very little) and has passed only small stools.

If your ferret is not readily taking food five (5) hours after surgery and there are no fasting instructions, it is always best to encourage fluid intake first. Offer water from a dish first. Drinking water from a bottle may take too much energy or the posturing to drink from the water bottle may cause discomfort. If the ferret is not enticed to drink from a dish, then try a small amount of water from an eyedropper. Once your ferret is taking water, you will most likely want to repeat the procedure with food. Most ferrets will be responsive to their normal dry kibble food within 4 or 5 hours after surgery. For older ferrets or ferrets who are not responding a "duck soup" recipe will allow you to offer a nourishing gruel that provides sustenance and helps the ferret back to his normal diet routine.

There are several different recipes for "duck soup" -- some people use the ferret's regular food softened with water with some other ingredients added (for example, chicken or turkey baby food, Sustacal or Ensure, Hill's a/d, vitamin supplements). Many vets will prescribe Hill's a/d, which is an easily digestible canned food that is designed for animals (dogs, cats) that have undergone surgery.

About Duck Soup

Duck soup is actually a gruel, which received its funny name from the ferret for whom it was created, "Lucki Duck." Lucki Duck was one of the former ACME ferrets, and "duck soup" was the miracle gruel that helped Lucki recover from illness years ago. Though Lucki Duck has left us in body, the recipe remains for other ferrets who need a bit of help; it has helped numerous older and recovering ferrets back to health. Ann Davis of the former ACME Ferret Co., has provided the original recipe.

Forced-Feeding

Most ferrets will readily eat duck soup. For slightly finicky ferrets, try offering some of the gruel on your finger or from a spoon. If the ferret still refuses to eat, you may need to coax him by using an eyedropper to place some of the gruel into the back of the mouth. Place the dropper at the back corner of the ferret's mouth and squeeze a few drops into the mouth sideways (don't push the food straight back into the ferret's mouth). Do this gently but firmly. Be careful if you are using a feeding syringe not to make it forceful. If the ferret aspirates food into the lungs, he could develop a potentially serious bronchial infection or, worse yet, pneumonia.

Some ferrets may object to the feedings by using their front feet to push the dropper or syringe away. If this occurs, use a clean hand towel or dishtowel and carefully wrap it snugly around your ferret's body; this will prevent him from using his front feet to fight the feeding. It should take only a few of these feedings before the ferret is feeling well enough to eat on his own. Until this happens you will want to feed the gruel every 2 or 3 hours to keep your ferret's blood sugar levels up and promote quick recovery and healing.

You may find that your ferret prefers gruel for several days before taking his regular dry kibble, but always keep the dry kibble available to him. Do not allow your ferret to demand the gruel -- when your ferret starts initiating food on his own it is advisable to cut back on the "Duck Soup." Be aware that the sweeteners (corn syrup) used in Sustacal, Ensure, Deliver, etc. are what provide quick energy to your recovering ferret. Prolonged feeding of these products to your ferret may encourage a desire for sweet foods, so use them for short durations and only for recovering pets. If your ferret resists going back to his regular food, you can offer his regular food softened with water as an intermediate step to dry kibble.

Evaluating the Recovery

When your ferret first arrives home after surgery, it is normal for him to be slow to respond, perhaps even lethargic (sleepy). Whether the procedure was large or small, the ferret will undergo a period of stress from being in an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar people and experiencing unfamiliar procedures, which invariably could leave him or her feeling a bit "under the weather"!

Your ferret will be slow moving, sore, and even bruised for a few days; this is to be expected, especially with invasive procedures. Prolonged lethargy or depression, refusal to eat, and vomiting all should be reported to the veterinarian immediately, in addition to obvious abnormal events such as bleeding or unexpected seepage from the surgical wound. Be on the lookout for stools that indicate your ferret has developed or is beginning to develop a stress-ulcer condition. Sometimes this condition will occur after a surgical procedure, and it is more common in older ferrets than in younger ones. Signs you may observe are sporadic dark green stools, grinding of teeth after eating, rubbing chin on floor -- all of these can be signaling an upset stomach or nausea. Do not treat these symptoms in your postoperative ferret without reporting them to and conferring with your veterinarian.

Remember: there is never a dumb question -- we are only considered so if we don't ask -- or don't learn from asking!

Wishing your ferrets a speedy recovery!