WHAT ARE HAIRBALLS AND WHAT IS THE RISK?
I imagine it’s fairly self-explanatory but for those of us new to the game, hairballs can form in the stomach and then into the intestines as an animal grooms itself. This is more likely to occur when an animal sheds in the spring and fall. These masses of hair can grow as more hair is swallowed and sticks to it. In cats, hairballs that form in the stomach can be coughed up. May not be the least bit pleasant but definitely a better alternative than keeping them in and allowing them to grow. Ferrets cannot do this and so a hairball that forms in the stomach behaves like a foreign body and either stays there or passes into the intestines and may cause a blockage. When this happens, portions of the gastrointestinal tract may lose blood supply and without immediate intervention, the ferret will become ill and may die.
