Emergencies

In the event of a serious ferret medical emergency, PLEASE CONTACT A VETERINARIAN!

If you do not know a 24 hour emergency vet, Google “Connecticut emergency veterinarian” and start placing telephone calls to those closest to your location (change Connecticut to your state if it is different). It is difficult to keep an up to date list of clinics throughout Connecticut because services can change. However, Bolton Veterinary Hospital has several vets that treat ferrets and are likely to have one there when you call. You can also reach out to Central Veterinary Hospital in North Haven and Pieper Memorial Vet in Middletown. During certain hours, the Canton Veterinary Emergency Center (located within Lesham Vet) also has a doctor who treats ferrets. Please have vet contacts on hand BEFORE an emergency occurs!

Poison Control Hotline

Note: The prices quoted were as of June, 2014

There are two at the top the search engines now on the internet. One is the Pet Poison Helpline that charges a $39 per incident fee as of this writing and the other is through ASPCA Animal Poison Control with a $65 per incident fee (fees shown as of June, 2014). We have not used either so cannot recommend one over the other. We suggest checking with your vet and putting on auto-dial at home or on your cell phone. We have noted that several other large animal welfare organizations like MSPCA recommend the ASPCA site. While more expensive, they have an extensive track record going back to 1978 and take about 750 calls a day. They are located in Urbana, Illinois which is where the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is located.

Both provide ongoing follow-up with your veterinarian, if needed, included in the incident fee.

Both services use licensed veterinarians and board certified toxicologists. Both show they treat all species.

Of course, if you have your own emergency vet, that might be your first call – but that is not always an option. The Pet Poison Hotline site has an excellent list of known poisons. Keep in mind that not all poisons affect all animals in the same way.

Emergency Preparations

Emergency Preparations – Scouts aren’t the only ones that should “be prepared.” This article explains why it is important to have a notebook with your ferret’s information handy “in case of emergency.”