Wow.  I'm not surprised the RSPCA told you to give back the ferret.  In
this country, at least, acting with such good intentions and not 'minding
your own business' could get you shot.  It seems like your neighbors
don't appreciate or want any 'outside assistance' either ... whether it
be from pride, inability to pay even 6 pounds a month, lack of caring or
just plain old stubbornness.  At this point, I think the family sounds
very much on the defensive...the more you push at them, the more they'll
resist doing anything to help the ferret.
 
Just a thought ... could the ferret have insulinoma?  I'm not a vet, but
I had a ferret with insulinoma and witnessed several seizures, one of
which killed him.  It was so horrible.  At the time, nobody (including
veterinarians) knew much about ferrets in general and the insulinoma went
undiagnosed by a vet who had scoured his textbooks and asked around to
his colleagues, without success.  This was also back in the pre-Internet
days so information was nowhere near as readily available as it is now.
 
It sounds like you at least have a sympathetic vet on your side.  Is
there any way he could try contacting the family again?  Do you have a
ferret rescue organization (or another humane society besides the RSPCA)
in your area that might help to educate them about ferret care and offer
support?  Would you be able to pay the pet insurance (assuming the family
would even bother to take the poor guy in for medical care, even with the
insurance...)?  You could try leaving little bundles of food, blankets
and medical/disease information on their doorstep.
 
Check out these links for info on insulinoma and other diseases(and corn
syrup can be administered during a seizure instead of honey; some feel
the corn syrup acts faster, too):
 
http://www.2ndchance.info/insulinoma.htm
 
http://www.wessexferretclub.co.uk/links.htm  (this site has links to
various ferret rescue organizations in the UK, and an extensive list of
health information sites).
 
Good luck!  It sounds like that poor little animal needs all the help he
can get.
 
Susann and the little ones, Ollie and Mina
[Posted in FML issue 4735]