In a survey by Heuberger et al . [ 5 ] , pain control in endof-life situations was described as being of utmost importance to pet owners . However , owners lacked knowledge of , and had unrealistic attitudes and beliefs about , the treatment options , costs and long-term feasibility of managing pain .
Alternative treatments that have no scientific basis ( such as prayer , reflexology and aromatherapy ) were described as ‘ important ’ to pain management . Owners were overwhelmingly in favour of euthanasia , especially at home . Only a subset of respondents were aware of quality-of-life scales but said they would be keen to use them in the future .
There is a scarcity of veterinary literature describing endof-life care , chronic pain management , rehabilitation or complementary therapies in many exotic species . Therefore , one option is to extrapolate from wellresearched domestic pets and use careful speciesspecific considerations , with advice from veterinary professionals and carers experienced with ferrets .
Pharmaceutical treatments to relieve chronic pain
The pharmaceutical aspects of treating pain have been described in Part 2 of this series ( VNJ , February 2025 , p . 14 – 23 ). This article focuses on the nonpharmaceutical interventions that can be used alongside medication when treating chronic pain in ferrets .
Environmental modification
An example of environmental modification can be seen in Figure 2 . The ferret , which has severe mobility issues due to swimmer syndrome , is resting its head at
the bottom of some covered steps . The steps had been added to the accommodation to enable the ferret to access the hammock to sleep , and extra padding was added for cushioning in the event of a fall . Similar steps were also provided to enable the ferret to easily access its owner ' s sofa .
Rehabilitation
The goal of rehabilitation is to :
• decrease pain
• reduce oedema
• promote tissue healing
• regain strength
• restore gait and mobility to prior activity levels
• prevent further injury and improve quality of life [ 6 ] .
A multimodal approach with both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions is advisable [ 6 ] . Short , enjoyable sessions where the rehabilitator is sensitive to the behavioural and emotional needs of the patient are generally successful . Ferrets can be highly motivated to engage with physical rehabilitation , especially if treats are provided .
Weave poles , cavaletti rails ( Figure 3 ) and swimming are excellent modalities for managing chronic pain , and can be introduced slowly , allowing the ferret to build up to more repetitions and various exercises [ 7 ] . When done carefully , exercise is useful for chronic pain [ 8 ] .
Some ideas for a multimodal approach to chronic pain management are described in Table 1 [ 1 , 6 , 9 – 11 ] ( page 33 ).
Figure 2 . An example of environmental modification . Photo permission from Pam Weaver , Fluffy Retreat Ferret Rescue .
Figure 3 . Rehabilitation equipment for cats ( such as the cavaletti rails shown ) can be downsized to suit ferrets .
32 Veterinary Nursing Journal