I, too, am one who has never taken my ferrets to the vet or had them
immunized.  That is not my choice; it is dictated by the poverty
situation that I now find myself in.  When the ferrets were given to me,
I had some money (savings), but was assured that they were up to date on
their shots.  In the meantime, the savings has been exhausted and I am
now struggling to make ends meet and just break even.  I am ashamed that
*I* am not financially fit to even have them (or my cats), as I know that
I could not afford any emergency treatment should one need it (I can't
even take care of myself right now if *I* needed anything).
 
OTOH, even if (*when*) I could afford it, I am hesitant to get certain
immunizations because of the evident risk of adverse reactions.  I would
take every precaution and get every test known in advance before I would
risk anything like that.
 
So, what's a person in this situation to do?  Give them (all) up to
someone else because *I* am not presently able to afford such things?
I'd rather cut off my right arm than do that!  Having grown incredibly
attached to them over the past year, that is virtually unthinkable.  I
think that would make *me* sick, and I'd end up needing medical attention
myself.
 
I can't help but wonder about people who have found themselves in a
poverty situation and they have children; would *they* give up their
children because they can't afford medical attention for them?  Obviously
not.  Yet, there are record numbers of Americans now finding themselves
in that same situation.  (Thank God that *I* don't have any children!).
 
So, there are NO easy answers.  Being in a poverty situation doesn't make
people bad parents or pet owners, and they can't just suddenly give up
anything they can't financially care for.  And, if they did, then things
turned around and they wanted them back, that opens up a whole new can of
worms and new grief for all concerned.
 
In the meantime, I am still ashamed of my situation, but there's not
much I can do about it.  Poverty here is the worst I've ever seen, and
reasonable jobs, particularly in my chosen "career", are non-existent.
I still give my ferrets the best food I can afford (Iams Kitten), and
neglect my own nutrition for their sake.  I make my own litter out of
newspaper, so I don't have to spend needed money on at least that.  I do
what I can, and am not above taking handouts.  I have ZERO recreation;
it's been over a year since I have had ANY fun at all, especially if it
costs a single cent - it's just out of the question.
 
Some people need to have some compassion and understanding for those who
find themselves, through no fault of their own, in a poverty situation.
Remember, just about everyone is just a few disasters away from the
poorhouse themselves.  All it takes is a few major setbacks to bring most
people to poverty's door.  I have seen a number of people go from riches
to rags virtually overnight, and it continues to get worse.
 
Just my thoughts on the matter,
Gary, Bart and Victoria
[Posted in FML issue 4295]