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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 14:11:51 GMT -5
When I woke up, I went to clean the cage. I pulled Marty out to put him in the crate, and I noticed he was coated with poop (Yes, I'm sure it was poop). So I took him to get rinsed off. Then I noticed one paw had blood, not poop. I quickly washed it off and saw that Marty's claw was bent back a little, and it was bleeding. I can't get to a vet and I couldn't afford it anyway, so I did the same as I would do for a dog claw or rabbit claw, and I inspected it, got ointment on it, wrapped it in a pressure bandage, and got the tape to stick to fur to keep the bandage on. It bled a lot, but not as much as I thought it was when I was freaking out. He's probably going to lose the claw.
I knew this would happen with how his toes are so slim and his claws are so huge. I'll take a picture of one of his other claws later to show you how they are. My mom says it could be due to the deformities of a Waardy, or it could just be a birth defect. Is there anything I should do specifically for a ferret in this situation, that people wouldn't do for a dog or rabbit?
Doing first aid makes me woozy. Why did I ever think I could be a vet? (I wanted to be one when I was little for a while, in between "K9 cop" and "Marine Biologist")
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Post by bitbyter on Aug 20, 2015 14:19:35 GMT -5
It might grow back. As long as the nail bed is still intact it should be fine. Athena torn a nail pretty badly and it grew back just fine.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 14:33:01 GMT -5
So there was a lot more blood than I thought. I pulled out his bedding, an old shirt, and there was a lot of blood on it. Why didn't he scream? Why didn't I wake up to the thrashing noises he must have made?
Should I give him liver to give him more iron? My judgement is fried right now and I'm shaky and seeing all the blood made me really woozy again.
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Post by raynebc on Aug 20, 2015 14:59:56 GMT -5
Red meat would be high in iron, perhaps some muscle/heart instead of liver to avoid too much vit A? If it doesn't heal up before too long, it may be best to have a vet checkup.
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Post by Celene on Aug 20, 2015 15:10:20 GMT -5
Also, make VERY sure he doesn't eat the bandage - the last thing you need right now is a blockage. The reason I mention this is awhile back a ferret had surgery (for a blockage) and the vet bandaged him up. The ferret ate the bandage and got a second blockage. Unfortunately, due to the damage from the first blockage/surgery he couldn't be saved  How often do you trim his nails? I need to give mine a manicure every week, and a pedicure every two weeks. Truthfully, I would highly recommend having a vet check the nail out, just to be safe. I know you said you're short on funds so you probably won't end up going, but keep a close eye for any signs of infections/irregularities. If he gets an infection or other complications, the vet bills will end up being MUCH higher than if you took him in in the first place. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 15:11:52 GMT -5
That is why i do not cut my ferrets nails, hubby cut one of my first set of ferrets nails, and i was surprised at the blood as he got the quick . Sometimes my ferret's nails get a little long and get caught in loose weave fabric. You may want to avoid loose weave baby blankets in cage. I have cut holes in clothing to get my ferret's nails out. You may want to purchase some Kwikstop Styptic Powder from Walmart for your emergency kit---I need to get some myself---trying to think if cornstarch is good?  ? I am sure a lot cheaper. |
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Post by Celene on Aug 20, 2015 15:33:08 GMT -5
abbeytheferret6, do you mean to say that your ferrets' nails are never cut? Keeping them short definitely is key in avoiding snags and accidents. Once their nails start getting long, they can kind of split/splinter on the underside and get caught on things.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 15:39:11 GMT -5
Celene :  I was just going to edit that when i saw ur post. We take them to vet. $9.00 for each one. |
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Post by Celene on Aug 20, 2015 15:43:33 GMT -5
abbeytheferret6, have you considered using one of these? There are a bunch of different brands on the market, but basically they sand the nail down instead of cutting so are safer, particularly if a ferret decides to squirm at the moment of clipping. Only mentioning this because having to go to the vets every time you need nails trimmed seems like a hassle 
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 15:48:33 GMT -5
I do like that.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 16:11:08 GMT -5
Tomorrow was going to be trimming day for him. I have them staggered so I have plenty of time in case one of them decides to be particularly fussy. He doesn't seem interested in the bandage, just keeps flicking his foot like a cat would to get tape off. I've been working with him on trying to get him to eat beef, and right now its mixed with pork, so when he's hungry there's plenty of red meat. I only have freeze dried hearts because I haven't been able to get to a store since the mislabeling incident (it said hearts, it was actually liver). I'm pretty confident in first aid and my ability to monitor wounds like this, I just couldn't handle the fact that I had to hurt Marty to get the bandage on, knowing he was already in pain, so I got panicky. Of course I'll take him to the vet if he needs it, but I can't afford to take him unless the vet can do something that I can't do myself. This is how his claws sit in his toes. Its been about a week and a half since his claws have been cut, and its hard to cut them close to the quick because they also have nail grow below the quick, which makes them too thick to cut at an angle that won't make them sharp.  This is the torn nail. The bandage fell off, so I took a quick picture before rebandaging it. Its not bleeding anymore, but I'm hoping to reset the nail, and preserve the bed.  This is the bandage. I have gauze holding the nail down and tape mummy-wrapped up his arm, then another piece protecting the front of the bandage, then another piece of tape mummy-wrapped to keep it tight.  |
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Post by unclejoe on Aug 20, 2015 17:40:37 GMT -5
You can use corn starch to stop bleeding nails. @celene Have you used one of those on a ferret? I had a pedi paws and as soon as I turned it on my dog bolted.
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Post by Celene on Aug 20, 2015 18:00:40 GMT -5
unclejoe - I have no personal experience with them, although I have heard that they are amazing on cats and dogs (particularly with dogs that have dark/black nails as the quick isn't visible). I imagine ferrets *would* squirm, but if they do it is less risky than using clippers. If you could get them to associate the sound/feeling/experience with something positive (salmon oil) they might learn to relax a little
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Post by Sherry on Aug 20, 2015 18:24:51 GMT -5
Those claws are DEFINITELY in need of a trim. Weekly is a great idea so they don't get that long anymore.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 18:54:00 GMT -5
Yea they really do need a trim, but take a look at the second one from the inside for the first picture. Its really thick, and trimming the ones like that as short as they're supposed to be is near impossible.
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