Hi All,
 
I am sorry that I had not gotten back to this post to give an update.  I
have been utterly depressed and really upset over the whole situation.
 
All three ferrets have passed onto the Rainbow Bridge.  The last little
guy hung on until this past Friday.  The vet has confirmed that there
were slight traces that were determined to be Ibprofen.  But the vet
feels that the cuts themselves which caused blood loss and infection
where the catalysts that caused their failure to thrive.  The ferrets
were suffering from renal failure as well - which the vet feels was the
result of not eating or drinking.  Though they were being rehydrated
(when the vet shaved the legs to insert an IV for the fluids, he found
the cuts), the damage was already done.
 
The ferrets were supposed to be released to my shelter if they made it.
Their quarantine cage at my house sits empty and untouched.  I cannot
help but cry when I think of how someone would do such a thing, whenever
I pass by the cage.  Though I did not know if I was going to be charged
or what the process was at that vet if the animals didn't make it.  The
vet informed me that he was paying the bill - since he didnt own the
practice, he could not waive the costs of the tests, so he paid for them.
I have had several people ask me for the test results but they were not
under my care and with the bill having been paid by the vet, I requested
copies of the results and the bill so that I may help overs should this
type of thing ever happen again.
 
I called the vet on Saturday morning to find that apparently someone
called his boss and demanded he be fired since he was not the most
experienced vet.  Of course, right now the vet is extremely upset.  I
have forwarded the emails and requests from other vets wanting more
information on signs, blood test and test results to the vet himself.  I
have also asked this vet to also write about this type of abuse and the
symptoms and such.  At this point it is his decision to respond.  I hope
that we did not lose another ferret vet.  This vet usually practices on
cats and dogs and was not the policy of the vet clinic to treat ferrets
in emergency situations but this vet having some knowledge of ferrets,
thought he would try.  But I feel that if the vet didn't do what he did,
the ferrets would not have made it through the night.  I am not sure they
were able to be saved as the conditions explained to me by the vet where
extremely serious, so being that, he did what he could.  I wish I had
thought to take my camera with me, but that was the furthest thing from
my mind when I ran over to see them and only to find that one had made it
to Wednesday.  That little boy had such a trusting face even after all he
went through he didn't try to bite, let the vet try to treat him.
 
I wish that I could confront the person who did this to them and walk up
to them and ask the only question that keeps circulating in my mind -"How
Could You Do Such A Thing To A Defenseless Animal?"  I have been doing
rescue for a long time and this one rates up there with some of the worst
cases I have seen.  I hope this was a one time case.
[Posted in FML issue 4672]