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Post by Big Oops on Jul 7, 2013 14:10:42 GMT -5
Earlier today I was clipping one of my ferret's nails when he jerked very suddenly. I ended up pretty much taking the entire nail off. I nearly cried I felt so awful. I kept using corn starch and flour to try and stop the bleeding, but he'd keep scratching at the floor and bouncing around and making it bleed again. I eventually just locked him in a dog kennel and he calmed down.
I went to the store quickly to pick up play sand and when I came back the bleeding had stopped, but he's pretty lethargic. He can move around and everything, but slowly and he doesn't struggle nearly as much when I hold him.
What should I do? I'm kind of worried.
Also, I put them all in a large play pen outside at night when it cools off. Should I keep him inside tonight? Lastly, how long should I wait while this heals before letting him use the dig box?
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Post by Heather on Jul 7, 2013 16:30:56 GMT -5
Was there much blood in the dog kennel when you removed him? Make sure he's hydrated and gets his food. I would be tempted to keep him indoors if at all possible and baby him for the next couple of days. I wouldn't let him use his dig box for at least a couple of days, maybe a week depending on what the wound looks like at that time. If you're concerned that he's lost a huge amount of blood then taking him to the vet might be a good precaution. I do know from quicking the dog's nail that there can be what appears to be a huge amount of blood. Remember too, that his foot is probably quite sore. Think about clipping yourself and you will understand how much pain he has in his foot.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2013 16:47:45 GMT -5
Oh, poor baby. You know that hurts, and I know how quilty you must feel. Heather suggests keeping him out of the litter box, you can put down paper for him, just put a poop on it, so he knows what it is for.
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Post by Sherry on Jul 7, 2013 17:53:27 GMT -5
Also, keep an eye out for infection. If he remains lethargic, and has lost a lot of blood he may need subQ injections to rehydrate him. Although it would be unusual for a normally healthy ferret to lose that much blood this way.
Odds are it simply hurts and he doesn't want to move around much.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2013 18:29:32 GMT -5
can you shoot us picture so we can get a better idea of how it looks? also, check his gum color and texture. that can tell a lot.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 4:35:15 GMT -5
For future reference, pick up a bottle of styptic powder. It's cheap, and it stops the bleeding quickly. You don't want to go rubbing a bunch of random stuff on a wound and risking infecting it.
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Post by Sherry on Jul 9, 2013 1:24:02 GMT -5
Actually corn starch and flour are both good styptic powders  for me it's usually faster and easier to use flour since it's easier to grab. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2013 5:15:12 GMT -5
I've heard that but the commercial stuff works well and is cheap enough, plus I know it's not likely to be contaminated with bugs and other random goodies I sometimes find in my cornstarch and flour cannisters. Also you can get the commercial stuff with a bit of a painkiller in it though I've never seen it for sale.
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