Putting your Ferret to Rest
Letting Go - Euthanasia of your Ferret
Every couple of months, I get phone calls from sad and desperate people asking, "When should I have my ferret put to sleep? How do I know when the right time is?" There's no simple or easy answer for anyone.
Often, it's people I've previously spoken to at length while their pet battled an illness. We'll already have gone through all the symptoms, all the treatments I've heard of, all the tricks to get them to eat.
They've been back and forth to the vet, and frequently have consulted with a specialist as well. The doctors have contributed their knowledge and done the best they can to treat the animal.
And, eventually, it comes down to the last days, and our pet must say goodbye.
Is there ever a right time to lose a beloved friend? No, of course not, but death is a reality we all must face. In some ways our pets are luckier than us; people must fight for the right to die in dignity and without pain.
We're free to release our pets from their pain without lawyers getting involved. There may be people who believe it is wrong to end any creature's life before nature does so herself.
Maybe they've forgotten the cruelty of nature - would we condemn anyone we loved to suffer the final stages of an illness without painkilling medication because it was "unnatural?" Although there are now pharmaceutical companies researching medication for pets, they still cannot tell us how much it hurts and how much medicine is needed to dull the pain.
I believe it is far kinder to our pet to take on the difficult burden of releasing them from suffering when it is necessary.
Please remember that I am discussing animals with terminal illnesses that are already nearing death. We have taken into the shelter ferrets that were left to be put down because they were "suffering." Although these animals did have an illness, with medication and care they were in no discomfort and had many more months of happily pottering about.
It is possible to want to put an animal to sleep way too early! However, I suspect these cases had less to do with the animal's needs than they did with the owner's selfishness.
Putting these issues aside, the question of the "right time" still remains. Everyone seems to agonize whether it may be too soon to let them pass on, and we are hampered by the understandable desire to put off this difficult task as long as possible and to keep our dear friend with us as long as possible.
Other than the unpleasant people noted above who really were having their animal put down too early, it's very hard to say when "too soon" is. You know your animal best.
Whether you realize it or not, you have learned to read his/her body language and expressions to know when they're happy, bored, excited, upset, or simply tired.
Over the time you've spent together, you've watched them grow older and slow down, and perhaps have seen them lethargic from a cold or other illness. Maybe one of your ferrets has had surgery in the past - think back to the groggy, clearly uncomfortable way they acted right afterwards. When an animal is terminally ill, that discomfort is not going to go away. It will become worse and worse.
If there has been a protracted illness, like some cancers, you should be aware of the probable unhappy ending and can look for the signs. Unfortunately, some illnesses, even cancers, can strike suddenly.
There may have been a barely noticeable drop in their health when they become rapidly very ill.
Liver or kidney failure, brought on by old age or completely some underlying disease, is a common cause of death in elderly ferrets. With this type of health problem, you may only have a day or two left with your friend.
If your animal has insulinoma, extremely low blood sugar may cause them to go into convulsions. A convulsion is characterized by periodic convulsive twitching and screams lasting for a minute or two at a time.
Contact a veterinarian immediately! Karo syrup, molasses, Ensure, Sustacal, or a dose of their currently prescribed steroid may help raise the blood sugar and lessen the reactions. Animals more deeply in trouble may need Valium, which a vet can administer.
Continued on the Putting your Ferret to Rest Part 2
