Well nobody on the FML e-mailed me personally about my ferret with possible
fluid in his lungs and I just caught a glimps of someone disagreeing with
the fact that I "self-treated" my ferret and stole meds from the clinic
where I work.
 
Now I am not sure who wrote this but maybe you should have e-mailed me
personally and I'd have been glad to explain the whole situation to you and
maybe then you wouldn't be so eager to judge me.
 
First off... NO VETS...yes NOT A SINGLE VET in the city where I live knows
the first thing about ferrets and they will admit this openly and most
REFUSE to treat ferrets becuase of this.  Most vets ONLY administer
vaccinations and any problems beyond that they say "we treat them like they
are a cat and if it works then good, if not then there's nothing else we can
do"!!!  Ferrets are not very popular here so NO VETS have teh time to learn
what they need to know about them.  Oh..well there is ONE vet who claims to
know about ferrets, but when my ferret had a blockage..she sent me home with
antibiotics saying she just had a cold...I DEMANDED x-rays, and even blood
work, but the vet refused to do it becuase she didn't have the time and she
didn't have any medical books to refer to.  I brought my ferret home knowing
what was wrong with her and SHE DIED LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER and there was
NOTHING i could do.  Now this is our ferret "expert" in this town.
 
As far as the vets at the clinic where I work are concerned....i have a
close personal relationship with all 8 of these vets and ALL OF THEM admit
to me that I know more about ferrets than they do..and you know what?  I do
NOT know very much compared to most FML'ers.  When I tell these vets I have
to bring a ferret in for shots they roll their eyes and say "another one?".
When I have a sick ferret they say all they can do is treat it like a cat
EVEN if FML'ers help me with suggestions they DO NOT LIKE OR APPRECIATE
outside information and decline to treat my ferrets.  They DO NOT do x-rays
becuase they claim it is too hard...they DO NOT like IV's becuase they say
it's too hard and they have 1% success if they are lucky.  Now these vets
are VERY NICE and VERY INTELLIGENT and can treat a cat or a dog with their
eyes closed, but when it comes to ferrets, there just isn't information to
educate them in this small community NOT to mention enough ferrets with
problems to gain experience.
 
I WOULD NEVER "SELF TREAT" my ferrets...the ONLY reason I stole antibiotics
from teh clinic is becuase I KNEW exactly what my ferret needed thanks to a
VERY experienced FML'er whom I talked over the phone with and also from a
conversaiotn with a vet.
 
You may ask why i didn't bring him to a vet to be treated?  Well... they
would NOT be able to treat him and for me to bring him in to be looked at
etc...it would cost me over $150.00 Canadian and nothing would be solved due
to lack of knowledge on behalf of the vets.  Now I owe $600 for the ferrest
i have in the first place...I rescued 2 of them and intended on adopting
them out when they were better.  Unfortunately the baby boy with pneumonia
WILL NEVER make a good pet for someone so I am keeping him alive although
most people suggest euthanasai because he is so mean.  I can't enjoy him as
a pet as I do my other ferrets, but I DO enjoy watching how happy he is with
my other ferrets.
 
The veterinarians at the clinic where I work have had their business which
includes 2 clinics for about 25 years.  They are well-off and openly admit
it to empoyees (not by bragging).  Now me steeling a $5.00 bottle of
anitibiotics which I would have gladly paid for WITHOUT wasting $150+ for
exam doesn't seem like a big deal.  If it makes you feel better I will put
money in the till the next time I am working.  Also if it makes you feel
better, the medication saved the ferrets life as he was at deaths door.  Now
he just suffers from a little fluid in his lungs which I am hoping someone
will e=mail me soon as to what to TRY TO SUGGEST to vets here on how to
treat it.
 
Sorry to go on for so long, but I do NOT appreciate being flamed by someone
who could've e-mailed me personally to find out the WHOLE story instead of
wasting time making me look like a theif on the FML.
 
Thanks you for your time.
Please email me personally if you wish to respond to this post...I'd hate to
waste any more room on the FML discussing this misunderstanding when there
are more important topics to deal with like sick ferrets.
 
===
 
Truly,
Liz
http://www.norlink.net/~state/liz.html
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[Posted in FML issue 1843]