> Laura asked:...

Well, I think that first of all you have to consider more possibilities
because I doubt there are only two, so here are a few other possible
alternatives.

1. Are they possibly people who have visual handicaps and have to wait
for good eye days or a helper for claw trimming? To be honest with you
Steve and I often can't any longer trim our ferrets' claws exactly
every two weeks. We trim them often enough, but we do have some days
when even with good lighting we just can't see the claws well enough.
I know people who think that claws are too long if they any downright
teeny tiny and others who go for longer lengths and don't worry about
ferrety digging (includes us) as long as the claws are not long enough
to catch due to the splits they can get when long. On the other hand, I
have seen some whose people got them to the point where they interfere
with walking and that is downright cruel. So, it depends partly on your
definition of "long". Slightly long, or these are crippling long?

2. Does the ferret have a medical condition you do not yet know
about which might have made surgery impossible and are the meds not
working? For instance, if the ferret has lymphoma, or bad kidneys,
or cardiomyopathy, or... If that is the case then finding the owners
rapidly becomes imperative if the more serious condition is being
treated. (BTW, we had a ferret with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who
lost fur when her heart disease was advanced. She was used to teach
others about ferrets after her death so there was necropsy and
pathology was done. Her adrenals were fine. The cause of the fur loss
remains unknown but the vet figured it may have been age combined
with terrible circulation.)

3. Is the owner badly strapped financially and saving for surgery?

4. Is the ferret a recent adoptee who felt displaced and got out
because the new people didn't know the ferret's personal escape tricks?

Meanwhile, you ask the local ASPCA what your legal options are in your
state if this is an animal suffering from Medical Neglect.

Not legal but I understand what motivated her: I do recall a friend
very long ago who placed an ad, was appalled by what the people who
gave the right description said and told the person that despite
attempts to save the dog's life that it had been found badly injured
and asked to whom should they send the ashes and the vet bill. It was
a bold bluff except that these were obviously horrid people and they
hung up on her. The dog was alive and placed elsewhere where there was
medical care.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5784]