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Advanced Surgical Techniques

Preoperative Considerations

General health of ferret

  • Age
  • Body condition
  • Concurrent conditions
  • Cardiopulmonary status
  • Kidney and liver function
  • CBC results
  • Positive or negative nutritional plane

Conditions to treat preoperatively

  • Anemia
  • Low platelet count
  • Dehydration
  • Infection
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Heart disease

Be prepared to treat concurrent diseases with abdominal procedures

  • Partial pancreatectomy
  • Liver lobectomy
  • Right adrenalectomy

Perioperative Support

  • Intubation
  • Anesthesia
    • Sevoflurane
    • Isoflurane
  • Temperature controlled environment (heated table or hot packs)
  • Subcutaneous, intravenous, or intraosseous fluids
  • Intra-op monitors
    • Pulse oximetry
    • Capnography
    • EKG
  • Ventilation
    • No assistance – ferret breathes on its own
    • Assistant bags ferret and breathes for it
    • Mechanical ventilator breathes at controlled rate and depth for ferret (best)
  • Heat controlled ICU cage
  • Oxygen controlled environment
  • Blood products (blood donors, Oxyglobin®)
  • Tissue perfusion/blood pressure (Hetastarch®)
  • Post-op pain control
    • Butorphanol
  • Feeding
    • May need to hand feed initially if not eating
    • Eukanuba Max-Cal®, Hills A/D®
      Surgical Instruments
  • CO2 laser
  • Very helpful
  • Minimizes bleeding, swelling, pain

Advanced Surgical Procedures

Liver Lobectomy

  • Indications
  • Discrete mass of 1-2 liver lobes
  • Large right adrenal mass that has extended into the caudate lobe of the liver
  • Types of Hepatic Tumors
    • Cystadenoma
      • Locally aggressive
      • Rare to metastasize
      • Can progressively advance through each liver lobe and ultimately result in liver failure
      • Lobectomy recommended
    • Hepatic Carcinoma
      • Locally aggressive
      • Late to metastasize
      • Aggressive lobectomy (partial hepatectomy) indicated
    • Hepatoma
      • Less common
      • Usually affects only one liver lobe
      • Removal is curative
    • Hepatic Lymphoma
      • Usually whitish color masses
      • Systemic disease
      • Guarded prognosis
    • Hemangiosarcoma
      • Uncommon
      • Aggressive tumor
      • Poor prognosis

Y-U Pyloroplasty

  • Indications
    • Pyloric hypertrophy
    • Pyloric stricture secondary to ulcer or foreign body

Tonsillectomy-Laser Assisted

  • Indications
    • Chronic tonsillitis (pharyngitis)
    • Tonsil tumor
  • Clinical Signs
    • Chronic gagging, retching
    • Pawing at the mouth
    • ypersalivation
    • Weight loss
    • Decreased appetite

Nephrectomy

  • Indications
    • Renal mass
    • Large renal cyst with compression of kidney
  • Assess renal function pre-op
  • Support with fluids and Hetastarch®

Lateral Ear Resection

  • Indications
    • Chronic unresponsive otitis
    • Trauma resulting in scarring of the ear canal
    • Ear canal mass/polyp

Fracture Repair

  • Same principals as dog/cat fracture repair
  • Difficult to limit activity post-op

Cruciate Repair

  • Indications
    • Torn cruciate in older, overweight ferret
    • With bilateral cruciate tears, ferret may present dragging hind end

Vena Cava Ligation

  • Indications
    • Large right adrenal mass with occlusion (>50% of vena cava)
    • Large adrenal carcinomas in ferrets are slow growing and rarely metastasize so they can slowly block vena cava with collateral circulation formed