Although not the size of the Freedonia Rescue , Tom and Brenda Denitto of
Mass. Essentially shut down a VT ferret breeder and rescued seven ferrets
from what would likely have been slow painful deaths.  The ferret's ages
range from 3 1/2 to 6 years of age.
 
Of the seven rescued, five have already been taken in for vet treatment.  Of
these five:
* one is a pregnant 6 year-old female;
* one whole male had a large, black nodule removed from his penis, and was
  neutered;
* one is suffering from a protruding, bleeding rectum;
* one has a severe infection in the neck, and was diagnosed with cardio. -
  she was having great difficulty breathing from the fluid buildup around
  the lungs - she is still at Dr. Dutton's;
* one, probably the healthiest one, has an enlarged spleen.
 
Of the other two who haven't gotten to the vet yet; one has a large, hard
lump in the abdomen, and the other a large soft mass in the abdomen.  One of
those has a badly deformed foot.  The other has a tail that was broken and
set badly.  All have massive tarter buildup on their teeth that will have to
wait until they recover from respiratory illness so that they can be cleaned
without further stressing them.
 
These ferrets were kept on bare wire floors of their cages.  When Tom and
Brenda arrived, the breeder said she wasn't sure how many were still alive .
She thought there might be 11 but only found the seven.  She wanted to get
out of the ferret breeding business, and Tom and Brenda were more than happy
to oblige her.
 
In order to make sure that the breeder doesn't re-open, Tom took all of the
cages that he could fit in his van, and is going back to get the rest.
 
Tom and Brenda took three of the rescues to their home.  Four have been
taken by 4 Li'l Paws Ferret Shelter in NH.
 
Dick B.
[Posted in FML issue 1758]