FERRET-SEARCH@LISTSERV.FERRETMAILINGLIST.ORG
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Date: | Wed, 6 Jun 2001 01:24:10 -0400 |
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Nikki, as he was called on arrival ( but he does not respond to this
name so it will change when he can pick a new one) is in a small 2 tier
cage at Ferret Wise with a full belly at the moment. He has a slight
and personable face. The truth is Nikki was severely neglected by the
human(s) who claimed to be his caretakers. Lucky for him the MSPCA force
fed him last night-- perhaps the saving grace that kept his system going
through the night. Today the manager at MSPCA was very eager to release
this ferret to Ferret Wise- usually I get the privilege of pulling teeth--
I was caught off guard by this until I met the ferret called Nikki.
The first thing I noticed was the bright eyes and slight head were attached
to a thin ferret, the stool was loose but formed- tinged green with
stress.... not too bad I thought... I was gazing at him in a darkened room
while tucked into a feline cubicle. He was lifted out and placed in the
carrier.. we began the journey home- to Ferret Wise. On the ride the
little one looked out drank form the water bottled and chowed on some
Marshall's kibble. This is gonna be a sinch I thought to myself. Upon
arrival I set the crate down and opened the door-- what horror and pain
overcame me as this frail ferret sauntered out hardly able to hold his hind
end up.... The peaceful badger face had little more than a skeletal frame
attached. Looking further -- there was a bald patch or nearly bald patch
of fur on one side of his body-- perhaps from being cut- perhaps from being
ribbed off on some surface-- but this area was all covered in scabs from
scratching. The I took a peak at the teeth- after all he was supposed to
be a young guy-- though his frame length and head would state he was at
least a year I wanted to size up the dental aging -- the canines were
broken off. My best guesstimate is this boy is perhaps 3 years old --
but a lot is hard to tell -- he is so thin, so frail I can close my index
finger & thumb around his mid section. It is suspect that however old he
is he never had enough or good enough food and I am quite sure once we get
him stabilized the underlying health conditions will begin to reveal
themselves. He will have a vet exam on Thurs Am when Casper gets his next
Lupron depot, I am sure there will be no blood work done as there couldn't
be time to get a stable reading-- and certainly now the less stress the
better.
The one thing that brought back some bittersweet memories-- upon looking
at the new boy-- he bears a striking resemblence to the very first ferret
requiring medical care at Ferret Wise. In 1994 Peanut arrived at Ferret
Wise one of a pair of surrendered ferrets from MA which went to 4 Li'l
Paws. We accepted Peanut and kept him going with lympho & cardiac problems
for 2 years before his time ran out-- It is eerie how this young or not so
young ferret mirrors Peanut -- but he is ever so welcome for however long
he needs us.
Watch for an update to the shelter hospice listings soon!
www.ferretwise.org
There are a few further pics available for those who request to view them.
I am hoping we will have some improvement pics real soon. send this little
one some good thoughts he is far better off than he was yesterday-- but he
has a long way to go.
[Posted in FML issue 3440]
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