DOI : https :// doi . org / 10.56496 / DJKZ5361

Aneesa Malik , MSc , RVN , Cert VNES , Cert VNECC , APVN ( Zoo )

ENVELOPE aneesa . rvn @ gmail . com

Aneesa has worked in a range of veterinary practices , including first opinion , charity , emergency , referral , exotics , and with some species of British wildlife . She is a Fear Free accredited practitioner and is particularly interested in veterinary ethics and welfare . Aneesa ' s primary focus areas are animal pain and the care of emergency and critical patients , wildlife and exotic patients , and end-of-life patients .

Sofia Saraiva , DVM , MSc , MRCVS

Rutland House Referrals , St Helens

ENVELOPE vetsofia . saraiva @ gmail . com

Sofia qualified from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , University of Lisbon , in 2014 . Sofia worked as a small animal / exotic veterinary surgeon in Portugal , Dubai and the UK before completing a 1-year internship at Great Western Exotics . She is currently working towards her zoological medicine certificate with the University of Edinburgh while working as an exotic veterinary surgeon at Rutland House Referrals in Liverpool .

ABSTRACT This article is the second in a series of three articles that review the assessment and management of pain in ferrets , with examples of chronic pain conditions that affect the species .

Little research is available on the consideration , recognition and management of pain in ferrets . Current recommendations are to use a balanced , multimodal analgesia and anaesthesia approach to target all aspects of the pain pathway .

This article looks at the information available on managing pain in ferrets , with details of techniques , interventions and drug doses . It discusses the use of opioids , non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs and adjunctive agents , along with sedation and anaesthesia .

Keywords ferret , pain management , analgesia , sedation , anaesthesia

Introduction

This article is the second in a series of three articles for veterinary nurses , which review pain in ferrets :

Part 1 : Assessment of pain in ferrets ( VNJ , December 2024 ) Part 2 : Management of pain in hospitalised ferrets Part 3 : Examples of chronic pain conditions in ferrets .

The veterinary profession is in the relatively early stages of understanding pain management in exotic animals , with many treatments being extrapolated from cat and dog medicine . However , there are an increasing number of studies looking at ferret analgesia .

A balanced , multimodal analgesia and anaesthesia approach is recommended to target all aspects of the pain pathway . This article discusses the use of opioids , non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ) and adjunctive agents , along with sedation and anaesthesia .

14 Veterinary Nursing Journal