Wonderful, entertaining and intelligent pets, ferrets are one of the species the veterinarians at Martensville Veterinary Hospital see on a regular basis. Due to their innate curiosity, ferrets can often get themselves into trouble but we are more than happy to help you develop a plan to make sure that your ferret stays safe and healthy while living in your home. Our vets offer routine examinations and vaccinations for ferrets, as well as medical services including bloodwork, cytology, and radiographs.
Unless you are planning to breed your ferret, we recommend that he or she be spayed or neutered. Female ferrets, or jills, do not need to give birth once to stay healthy. In fact, spaying can save a ferret’s life. Jills that haven’t been spayed will stay in heat until they’re bred. This condition can cause anemia (a decrease in red blood cells), which can be fatal. In male ferrets, neutering can reduce their strong body odor, prevent marking, and reduce aggressive behaviour.
Please contact us right away if your ferret develops any unusual symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, lack of appetite, trouble breathing, black ear wax, discharge from the eyes or nose, lumps, swelling, or an increase in aggression or sexual behaviour (especially in neutered males).
Veterinarypartner.com also has some excellent information on skin and intestinal diseases of ferrets, ferret emergencies, and how to keep your ferret happy and healthy, like this one called Ferret World. In addition, ferrets are inquisitive creatures by nature and frequently ingest objects they shouldn’t.