When Spirit was picked up from animal control by our ferret person, she
took him directly to the vet.  Spirit received sub-q fluids as he was
severely dehydrated and in a starvation state.  He also received vitamin
and antibiotic injections.  His weight at the time was 1.07 pounds.  His
age is estimated at 3-4 years and his weight should be 2.5 to 3 pounds
for a male of his size.  After his vet visit and treatment he was taken
home with our ferret person.  She immediately fixed him a liquified
nutritional recipe and little Spirit ate willingly and ravenously on his
own.  While preparing his cage, our caretaker placed kibble in a bowl
just in case Spirit wanted to eat it, and she reported that Spirit dove
into the kibble bowl and ate ravenously again.  Having nursed
sick/abused/neglected ferrets myself, what this tells me is that Spirit
was literally being starved to death, whether by intent or ignorance
makes no difference.
 
Spirit was up for two 15 minute periods yesterday where he walked around
and investigated his new surroundings.  He is eating 1 1/2 ice cube
servings 3-4 times a day and all the kibble he wants.  He is stable on
his feet and he is eliminating normally.  Spirit's recovery will be slow
but he's made amazing progress thus far.  The will to live in these
precious beings is so incredibly strong.  Had my weight gone down
percentage wise to what Spirit was, I would be dead....
 
Thank you to all that helped Spirit.  It was a wonderful show of support
and caring.
 
It's incredibly sad to think that someone you trusted could be so
horribly cruel to an innocent trusting loving being.
 
I implore each and every one of you, to thoroughly check out anyone
you are considering giving/adopting/boarding your ferrets to (or any
companion animal for that matter).  Animal collectors are very deceiving
and they easily convince the unsuspecting that they are the most loving
and knowledgeable animal caretakers around.  Make visual inspections, ask
for references from others that have visited their locations and worked
with them.  Be very suspicious of those who put you off time and time
again.  And if you see something amiss, for goodness sakes, tell them at
that time.  Remember that if you don't, the ferrets will continue to
suffer in silence.... and after you leave it could get worse.
 
Hugs to all. tle
Troy Lynn Eckart, F.B.S.
Ferret Family Services
http://www.ferretfamilyservices.org
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~sprite/ffs.html
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/5481/
Please sign up to support our efforts
http://www.iGive.com/FFS
[Posted in FML issue 3847]