First Thanks for coming on and posting your email Leanne.
 
Since I am one of the three people that were the ones that were involved
with the WFRS in the beginning, I of course probably would be considered
bias as to my feelings about WFRS, and of Course Dr. Cathy Johnson
Delaney.  I know how hard it is when shelters get sick ferrets into the
shelters.  I doubt many shelters turn away sick ferrets, but maybe they
should if they don't have the money for Medical care for these ferrets.
How many shelters beg for money from the FML and other websites for money
to take care of these ferrets.  In the 7 years I have been a member of
FML I have seen many of these request for help.  Not once has the WFRS
ever begged for money, although they have needed it desperately since the
shelter started.  They have plugged along the best they could.  Everytime
a sick ferret came in they were taken care of the best they could, if
money was available they were taken to the vet.  Many surgeries were done
on ferrets that have been turned into the shelter.
 
In the years that I have been involved with the shelter I know of 4 vets
that the WFRS has used.  It was thorough one of these vets that we were
introduced to Dr. Cathy Johnson Delaney when she ask us if the shelter
would be involved with the adrenal study she was in the process of doing.
Only the shelter ferrets were to be used in this Adrenal Study in the
beginning.  All ferrets that were accepted in the study had to be the
property of WFRS or a paper was to be signed saying that the ferret had
been turned over to WFRS to be used in the Adrenal study.  Dr. Delaney
never said in the beginning that she would provide vet care to our
shelter ferrets.  I know for a fact thou that many times when she was at
the shelter she did look at shelter ferrets that were ill.  Why because
she honestly loves FERRETS and their health is a concern to her.  Also
at times she never knew if the ferrets was a shelter ferret or a ferret
from one of the volunteers at the shelter, or a foster ferret from the
shelter.  Many times records in the beginning were not always kept up to
date, because of time involved with the director of the shelter and her
own personal life.  I am sure if you run a shelter you know how much is
involved in it and how many times things get behind that needs to be
done.  The director of the shelter had a full time job, taking care of
many teenagers besides her own.  A husband that often did not have a job,
so therefore everything was put on her shoulders.  Never in the years
that the shelter has been open have there been that many volunteers so
everything involved with the shelter was put on just a few peoples
shoulders.
 
I don't think Dr. Delaney ever said that Lupron was the first choice, the
only way you know for sure what type of adrenal tumor you are dealing
with is to have surgery on the ferret and send it out to the patholgist
to confirm cancer.  If any pieces of the tumor is left it can spread to
other parts of the body I have heard.  So even after having both right
and left adrenal tumors moved, there's still no guarantee that it won't
grow back somewhere in the body.  I have heard of this on many occasions
for ferret owners in the past.
 
In the past adrenal sugeries here in the Seattle, Washington area were
costing over $1000.00, how many people have that kind of money for each
ferret they have.  If cost was much lower I am sure more people would
choose surgery over lupron.  I have a ferret here that is not in the
study and has had a few lupron shots and she is still doing good after
2 years, she is now 6 years old.
 
I have heard of just to many people that have gone with surgery and
lost their ferrets on the table and still have huge vet bills to pay
afterwards!  We all have to make our own decisions on just how we are
going to handle it when our ferrets, cats, dogs get old and just how
much money we can afford to put out for vet bills.  Remember even Pet
insurance don't cover FERRETS when they have Adrenal, Insulinoma,
Lymphoma surgeries.
 
Everyone needs to know that Ferrets like rats get more cancerous tumors
then other mammals before they ever decided to get a ferret and how they
will deal with it when it happens.  Taking that ferret to a shelter is
NOT THE ANSWER in my opinion.
 
I know for a fact that Dr. Cathy Johnson Delaney is one of the best
Ferret Vets I have ever known.  I would trust her to do any surgery on my
ferrets, if I could get her to do it.  I trust her completely, which I
can't say for some of the other vets I have went to in the past with my
ferrets that call themselves exotic vets.  But then I don't always have a
choice of who I can take my ferrets to when there is very few qualified
Ferret Vets in the Seattle, Wa.  area that can do Ferret surgery.  They
don't teach vets much in the vet schools about ferrets, so how can a vet
do surgery on them if they don't get experience!  How do they get
experience, is by doing the surgeries and learning from other vets that
have done ferret surgeries.
 
There are more ferrets in Oregon, so of course there are going to be
better vets down there and I have heard that prices are much more
reasonable in Portland, also Thanks to Chris Mathias who has been running
a shelter with over 100 ferrets in it for many years in the past.
 
Charl
[Posted in FML issue 4381]