Medical and Surgical Emergencies in Ferrets.

In the last few years, significant improvement in diagnosis and treatment of ferret emergencies has occurred. Scientific advances demonstrated the need of specific practices when dealing with emergencies in ferrets. The risk of overdiagnosis of hypoglycemia with human portable blood glucose meters is a clear example. The purpose of this article is to describe the current approach to common medical and surgical emergencies in ferrets.

Small Mammals: Common Surgical Procedures of Rodents, Ferrets, Hedgehogs, and Sugar Gliders.

Small mammal surgical procedures are a part of clinical veterinary practice and are performed with regularity. Anesthetic and analgesic techniques are important components of any successful small mammal surgical procedure. Many basic surgical principles used in dogs and cats can be directly applied to small mammals, but tissues tend to be smaller and thinner, and hemostasis is critical with small patients due to risk of death with minimal blood loss. Common surgical procedures in small mammals include integumentary mass and abscess excision, reproductive procedures, gastrointestinal foreign body removal, urolith removal, prolapsed tissues associated with the gastrointestinal tract, intra-abdominal mass excision, and hepatic surgery.

Metabolic complications of endocrine surgery in companion animals.

Metabolic complications of endocrine surgery occur commonly and precautions should be taken to avoid potentially life-threatening situations and to lessen expense associated with a more extended hospital stay. Common complications of endocrine surgery as well as prevention strategies will be reviewed for pancreatic, parathyroid, and adrenal surgery.