>Health issues: I for one am all in favor of keeping the health-related
>stuff coming.  For those who complain about the health-related stuff--
>owning a pet is equal parts fun and _responsibility_.
 
Hey, Regina,
I think your post was in regard to mine and you totally misunderstood its
intentions!  I was not complaining!  I have been a pet owner since the day I
was born and a very dedicated pet mom at that.  I just spent 2 weeks in
September administering subcutaneous fluids to my Siamese cat who I brought
back from the jaws of death.  He had a mysterious virus or poisoning that
attacked his liver and baffled two vet clinics.  I spent every waking moment
with that poor animal Including holding him on his litter pan.  I also spent
over $500 on trying to diagnose him even though we were unemployed with two
people children to care for.
 
My question to my fellow ferret folks is this:
With other pets, it seems that for the most part, prevention is the key to
keeping your pet healthy.  But with ferrets, there are so many things that
just go wrong with their little bodies, that I'm wondering if it is a major
reason why a lot of people don't want to take on the responsibility of one.
They seem to be a potential heartbreak to begin with.  Now, as far as having
a pet in one's life, my philosophy is that it's better to have loved and
lost than never to have loved at all!  However, so much can go wrong with
our little fusses and it's taken so matter of factly that they most likely
will develop one of these horrifying and costly problems in their lifetimes.
It kind of plays games with your emotions to have to be worrying about these
problems in this way.  Maybe it's just that being a caring pet owner that
takes the time to get involved with this info on the FML exposes one daily
to so many negative things about owning ferrets.  On the other hand, it's a
wonderful tool to help one take care of their animals and definitely
highlights the joy of having ferrets be a part of our lives.
 
I never intended to sound like I didn't want FMLers to write in about their
ferret illnesses!!  Isn't this one of its major purposes -- to be a forum
for the problems as well as the joys, and a resource to professionals as
well as other owners to tap all that knowledge and experience?  I just
wanted to know if anyone else ever gets to feeling a little down about the
worries we ferret folk go through.  As a cat, dog, rabbit, bird, rat,
hamster, gerbil, toad, turtle, chameleon, and current ferret owner, I find
their potential health risks quite nerve-racking.  Just reading the health
FAQ had me scared stiff and wondering what I had gotten myself into.  I
don't remember ever looking through another pet care manual and feeling this
way.
 
As for my fuzzies, they are the spirit of joy embodied in fluff!  I wouldn't
trade them for anything!=20
 
Gaye
[Posted in FML issue 1820]