Good!  We'd been leery to butt in on the decision, but are relieved that
Casper stays.  The best pet owners I've ever known are those who DON'T
think of themselves as owners, but as family members sharing love with
other family members.  The people who gave up Casper were perfectly able
to realize that he is an integral part of the family, and that he likes
it that way.  Seeing this, they should have been happy for him rather
than requesting his return.  That they behaved in another fashion is not
to their credit, either in observation, consideration, or maturity.
 
When we rehabed sweet, abused Harley we realized that his needs and those
of our others didn't mesh well enough for us to keep him, though we would
have done whatever was needed to do so if there had not been a wonderful
potential other home for him.  We still strongly miss him but Judy is the
perfect mom for him and she says he's the most wonderful of all the
critters she has ever shared her life with (and gives us regular
reports).  If it was hard to lose him to such a good place it must be
terrible to be asked to return Casper to someplace where inconveniences
(?!) like medical care are neglected.
 
There IS something that they SHOULD be given, though: a copy of Pam's
FAQs and Bruce's Medical FAQs.  (Which reminds me, we'll have to request
the new ones, ourselves.)
 
Bill Gruber and Chris Lewis, I've got a bit of a thing not for the list
but for your possible pleasure, but have lost Chris' e-mail address and
don't know if I should use Bill's ferret-request one or another.
 
[Moderator's note: Maybe Chris will answer you directly, but if you wish,
send your comments to ferret-request and I'll forward them to Chris.  BIG]
We found a neat new trick to increase eating during Meltdown's recovery.
We put her Pro Plan in plastic glasses so it would crunch even more loudly.
 
Oh, our guys say to tell all that they consider their cages to be among
their dens and love them, regularly going beck into them when tired.
 
Guess who thought she had gotten some fine shots of adrenal disease for
the web and then found out there was no film in the camara?  If the other
rolls came out well, though, there is a sweet one of Meltie hugging a
green and red catnip mouse to her chest as she sleeps which will wind up
on Bruce's wall.  (Steve's dad did that at Steve's sister's wedding, his
mom did it when we got married -- boy, was I glad to have a less common
name than Davis, Steve did it on our first annual hot air balloon ride,
and now I missed THIS chance!)
 
It was good to learn that the Princeton pet store is actually reasonable.
New Jersey DOES have laws which can cause pet stores to lose their
licence to sell various (or all) categories of pets if there is abuse, or
if medical care is denied.  We know it is followed up on, so if you know
active neglect or abuse exist you can contact Fish and Game or your
legislator's office to learn about reporting a place for investigation.
Just know your FACTS beforehand.  They are understaffed, but kind.
 
We've also known pet store owners who took in abandoned, abused, ill, and
neglected animals.  (BTW, around here most mall stores are chains, but
most shopping center pet stores are mom-and- pop.  A regionalism?)
 
May I second Pam's emphasis on getting to the vet when there is a health
problem rather than first sending a query?  With some conditions delay
can be fatal.  We sometimes have that problem with Neighborhood Watch,
too.  People will call a captain, even if it means leaving a message on
the answering machine instead of calling the police.  Do you know what
it's like to come home four hours after a call to hear, 'There's a
strange man climbing in my neighbors' window and I don't want to disturb
the police about it'?  Arrgggh!  It's how the Butterball Hot Line must
have felt when a woman called them to report that her chihuhua was stick
in the cavity of their turkey.
 
Re: small dogs and ferrets.  DO be aware that an open toilet can be a
hazard if a small pet jumps or falls in head first.  That's how Beverly
Sills lost a well loved pet.
 
Re: adrenals: We used Lysodren on Hjalmar when he had lymphoma related
adrenal disease, but after eight months he was going into shock so often
that we finally risked the surgery.  Even though he only lived a few
months more (which we went in knowing was likely since all indications
were lymphoma) the op was worth the risk.  Still, the lysodren DID give
him very happy eight months.  In his case, the R came out and doing a
partial (Ferrets need at least PART of one adrenal, rather than none.)
didn't make sense.  When his L one refused to start up at first Florinef
kept him alive.  His situation was pretty much a worst case one; most
adrenal disease is cleared up with surgery, as Meltie's is so nicely
doing now.
 
Re: insulinoma.  Again, the odds went against us.  We had Fritter with
lymphoma-related insulinoma, and in her case she wasn't a good surgical
candidate, but from what I have read that's unusual and surgery is most
often the way to go for the critter.  If untreated or untreatable this
can be a truly horrid way to die so if check with other vets to see who
can go in.  It would be a shame to let a ferret drag on and get worse if
the cause is the typical benign one that can be cleared up with surgery.
Giving sweets is the stop-gap which is used in cases like Frit's.  Does
your ferret have neck, axial (armpit) or leg nodes big enough to be play
balls as is seen in established lymphoma?  (and in other illnesses --
it's NOT diagnostic, but a useful thing to know)
 
We give our ferrets a quarter to half teaspoon of Schiff Brewer's yeast
powder pretty much each day with water as a treat.  That's because one
possible contributing factor to the development of diseases of the
pancreas in ferrets may be low chromium intake and that provides what
seems to be the right level.  Hjalmar's pancreas was clean at autopsy as
was Meltdown's when her op was done.  COULD WE, PLEASE, HEAR FROM OTHER
BREWER'S YEAST USERS ABOUT THEIR RESULTS?  BTW, don't give it with
sweets; they interfere with its uptake.
 
Some of our ferrets could tolerate 90 degrees F just fine, but others
have a very hard time at 80.  We don't risk it.  Both polecats and BFFs
are (as has been said) nocturnal and largely ground dwelling as long as
the options are there.  (Any animal will seek food at unusual times if
too hungry, and ferrets need to commandeer another animal's burrow since
they don't tend to make them, but will modify them -- which is why the
marks from backward dragging of rocks held to the chest is a way to
locate burrows used.)
 
BTW, did I ever mention that Meltdown litter trained Warp for us?
She'd sniff her and then drag or herd her into a pot and not let her
out till she had gone.
 
Gee, it's all Meltie news.  Ruffle is fine, but has a weird unilateral
shedding pattern now growing out on her underside.  'Chopper remains too
pudgy to be our organic helicopter anymore.  Spot still tucks his toy
ferret into our bed covers so I guess he doesn't think it's Spring, yet.
Meeteetse is still jumpy but loves to vie with Warp for who can produce
the best music on the toddler electric keyboard.  Warp now knows she is
definitely someplace stable.  My poor Steve/ sweet hubby has been working
too hard.
 
        Hugs,
        Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 1146]