When it was our turn to be seen by the vet, she weighed him. What a chunker 2 lbs 15 oz! She looked at his teeth, eyes and ears all looked good. As the exam continued she listened to his heart and mentioned that he had a slight murmur. Since we are new to her, she asked if anyone had talked to me about this. I explained that Ben was a rescue and aside from an initial health check when I brought him home this was his first appointment.
She explained to me how cardiomyopathy is commen in ferrets, she rated his murmur a 1 on a scale of 1-6 with 1 being the least concerning. She asked about his activity levels, and if he ever did the flat ferret in the middle of playing. I giggled at this, because when Ben plays he is always the last man standing! Still something to keep an eye on.
She also mentioned that his spleen is prominent, but again this is common in ferrets. All in all he seemed healthy. So it was time for his vaccination. He was such a good boy, didn't even wiggle when he got his shot. We thanked the vet and went out in to the waiting room.
We decided to pay first even though we wouldn't be leaving yet. Ferrets can sometimes have reactions to their vaccinations, so it is always a good idea to stay at the vets for at least 30 minutes in the event that a reaction happens. This way you are on site and not needing to rush back for help. Since I wasn't expecting a reaction to a rabies shot we paid and took a seat.
Ben was chillin' in my lap watching the happenings of the vets office when he got very wiggly. So I put him in his carrier and then all heck broke loose. No sooner than I got him in the carrier, he began to vommit. I knew all to well that this was the beginnings of a reaction. I let the vet tech know what was going on and we were rushed back in to an exam room where we were met by the vet.
Ben was given an antihistamine and a steriod injection to counter the reaction, she checked his gums and heart rate all seemed okay. She had us just hang out in the exam room while the medicines took effect. She poked her head in from time to time to see how we were doing.
My poor baby, just layed there in my arms all limp. If I set him down he would move around a bit. His eyes were open, but just staring off in to space although he was breathing fine. As the reaction continued he experienced a bloody and very liquified bowel movement. I notified the vet of this turn of events, and she gave him an epinephrin injection. We waited and watched some more.
He eventually turned the corner, I knew he was feeling better when he started nesting in the carrier moving the blankets around to his liking. Before leaving Ben also received sub-q's to ensure that he was hydrated after his ordeal.
A day later my boy seems no worse for the wear and is acting as if nothing happened.
What a first impression he made on his new doctor!
