Kansas City Ferret Hotline and Shelter currently has 41 ferrets.  Two
of these are permanent residents, our V-Hob, Tamoulaine, and a youngster
that I broke my rule of 13 years (we will never keep an incoming ferret
if we can find it a good home) in order to keep.  Baby Fuzzelbutt
actually spends a lot of time up on the third floor playing with the 6
ferrets who live up there with my girl friend, Edwina, so not to worry.
 
I ran our budget report and vet expenses to date are $3238.93.  We have
8 having surgeries, mostly adrenals, this week so you can add close to
$1000 to that.  We pay as we go and were it not for our very dear
generous vet, and the fact that I can earn extra money by teaching in
the summer, we would be in deep budgetary doodoo.  Dr. Dean Kolich is
our excellent surgeon.  He gets lots of practice as we send everyone to
him.  He noted that with the 8 he's doing this week and the 5 he did
last week, about 30% of our population has needed surgery lately.
 
Most of us who shelter know that we will get more elders than youngsters,
and most of the elders will have adrenal and/or insulinoma problems.  We
follow Dr. Williams' credo, "When in doubt take it out." and we have not
lost a ferret post-op for years.  I do get tired of people who decide
that they can't afford to care for their elder ferrets but I sympathize
with those who, I suspect, just can't bear to watch their elders die.
So, Dr. K is right, about 1/3rd of our population tends to be old and
ill.  Our total budget most years in under $7000 thanks to him.
Adoptions cover about 30% of our expenses and the rest comes from tax
deductible donations.  Most years we break even.
 
Hope this is of interest to someone.  Bobbi McC. <+:-)
[Posted in FML issue 4979]