Last week I went with Frida (I hope there aren’t any problems in figuring out that Frida is my ferret) to the vet. It is summertime, she is often outside with me, only in the evening, so we decided to visit the vet. No, not just for fun, she started to smell and she dragged her butt on the floor. For those who have animals, they know what I’m talking about. I assumed her anal glands were full and it would be a good idea to go to the vet so he can empty them.
Animals have anal glands for different reasons, like defense, communication, to mark their territory… There are many ways to use them. So every animal has anal glands on both sides of their butt and they can empty them in a natural way. If they have hard poop, they pressure anal glands with their poop and that is how they empty them. But, sometimes animals can’t do that due to several reasons. For example some illnesses, bad nutrition, or digestive problems. It doesn’t have to be related to some medical problem.
Frida’s anal glands were full (at least I thought so) because she started to pull her butt on the floor, so I took her to the vet. When we came for the examination, the vet said we should make an appointment. The next time when we came to the vet, you could really say it is Saturday, everybody was there. The clinic was full of dogs, cats, rabbits, and one little ferret, Frida. Of course, she was a star there.
The Vet Appointment
The vet found out what was the problem, she said that we will go outside to empty her glands. I was a little surprised, but I knew I have read that smell from anal glands is rather strong. We went outside, I held her and gave her malt paste and the vet did the cleaning in an extremely short time. The vet pressured anal glands and that is how she emptied them. Then I realized why we are outside. The smell is really something and it was around Frida for some time. When the vet did the cleaning, Frida was so calm, she didn’t move a muscle, it looked like the vet didn’t do anything to her. The best way to clean anal glands is to give it to the professional. You can permanently remove anal glands, but that might result in some health problems, so it isn’t the brightest idea.
My worry then was, how to make Frida stop smelling? Simple, when we came home, I went inside for Frida’s towel, some warm water, toys, and Frida took a bath in water. She didn’t mind, she likes water. We bathed her in the tub and I can honestly say, she is diving like a big girl.
Nevertheless, this experience with anal glands was our first and I must admit I was a little nervous but everything went fast and smooth in the best possible way, which makes me really happy for my little friendly ferret.
