Blood sampling ferrets

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Marie Kubiak — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 10:41:56 GMT

I use the vena cava routinely under an iso GA for full samples, I find it easy to hit, minimal stabbing trauma/frustration and good blood volumes possible. I use cephalics conscious if it's just blood glucose though.

Marie

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Rob Davis — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:43:34 GMT

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]I have occasionally managed it in a conscious ferret but it ain't as easy as the 'exotics' guys make out.[/quote]

I'm glad I'm not the only one - the book implied that they should rarely require sedation or anaesthesia for sampling...

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Niall Taylor — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:19:35 GMT

[quote user="Rob Davis"]

Any tips gratefully received!

[/quote]

If it's only a small quantity for a glucometer or a capilary tube for aleutian disease then a pad prick or a radical claw clip usually does the job. Otherwise we gas down with iso and go for the jugular, cephalic or tail; if you use medetomidine the veins just vanish. I have occasionally managed it in a conscious ferret but it ain't as easy as the 'exotics' guys make out.

Niall

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Michael Woodhouse — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:40:08 GMT

[quote user="Emma Middleton"]Sounds inhumane to me - even if you were to attempt this (and risk causing major trauma to the heart/lungs/anything else you may blindly stab) you would need deep anaesthesia. I can't see how this is an acceptable way of blood sampling an animal, there's too much risk of harm, GA or not. [/quote]

I have only done it in really tiny things that I have NEEDED blood from and veins just too small to get a decent sample. I have personally never had one suffer harm, they seem bright and pain free afterwards. I saw it done as a student and was highly impressed with the technique. So long as there is adequate anaesthesia we do far worse things to animals. You can palpate the apex beat [and usually see it] and draw what you need [or safely can based on body size] slowly through a 23G needle.

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Rob Davis — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:13:39 GMT

Thanks for all the tips. Managed to get 1.5ml today from jugular after a bit of isoflo. Looks like liver disease (suspect neoplasia) as high ALT/ALT, low albumen, low glucose, will discuss ex-lap with owners...

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:07:55 GMT

[quote user="Emma Middleton"]I can't see how this is an acceptable way of blood sampling an animal, there's too much risk of harm, GA or not. [/quote]

It is considered 'routine' in snakes!

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Emma Middleton — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:07:36 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]

Few breaths of iso followed by from the heart? Sounds harsh but very effective in puppies and kittens

[/quote]

Sounds inhumane to me - even if you were to attempt this (and risk causing major trauma to the heart/lungs/anything else you may blindly stab) you would need deep anaesthesia. I can't see how this is an acceptable way of blood sampling an animal, there's too much risk of harm, GA or not.

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Rob Davis — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:05:41 GMT

Seriously?!

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Michael Woodhouse — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:16:42 GMT

Few breaths of iso followed by from the heart? Sounds harsh but very effective in puppies and kittens

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Charlotte Marshall — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:24:56 GMT

I have managed to get a sample from the cephalic but only enough for a glucometer reading. It is a bit awkward due to the short legs and general wriggliness of ferrets!

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Emma Middleton — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:48:05 GMT

I've found the tail vein much easier to sample than jugulars in ferrets, and can usually be done conscious. Get somebody to grasp ferret firmly round middle/upper body and give them something really tasty to lick off a spoon (may not work in your ferret if she's inappetant but worth a try to distract her). I grasp the tail with the ventral aspect uppermost, raise at the base of the tail, pop the needle in (it's fairly superficial) and let the sample drip into tube (aspiration is often unproductive). You can't usually see the vein, but I find it's easier to hit than the jugular.

Failing that, before resorting to vena cava (that does sound scary!), you may get a small sample from the cephalic? I'd imagine this would require a bit of gas. Have also heard you can clip off a toe nail and let blood drip into tube but that sounds painful to me...

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

Rob Davis — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:32:50 GMT

That's what I did, but I still struggled to find the jugular. She is fairly small (550g), but maybe it's just me...

Re: Blood sampling ferrets

James Laidlaw — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:06:03 GMT

Don't know what others do, but I find masking or gas chamber down with iso and then jugular sampling when sedate is easiest.