HI!  This is my first time posting though we have been subscibing for many
months.  My fiance has posted before and so now I guess it is my turn.  We
have two ferrets....Eddie Munster and Chester Copperpot (Eddie and Chester)
Eddie is just a little over 1 and Chester, we were told by the pet store, is
3 months.  We help out our local ferret rescue shelter when we can...and at
present have one rescueeeeee name Tai.  Our little Eddie was once a
rescueeee of the shelter.  I am soooo happy that we found him.....He brings
to much delight. :)  Our shelter does not have a computer and the shelter
director, Tracey Kilmer (of Ferret Rescue of Spokane) asked me to put up a
post about a few things....
 
1) This week Tracey was brought a little female ferret that was on the verge
of death.  She was spproxametly one year old and had not been fixed.  It was
a wonder she was still alive considering she had also not been bred.
Thinking this may be the cause of her illness, Tracey spent the night trying
to nurture this poor fert back to a level of health where she could be
saved.  The little girl finally gave Tracey a bowel movement and Tracey
thought this was going to be a good sign.  Alas, the little girl died that
morning.  A few hours later, she decided to go through the food and other
items that had been brought with the little girl.  This is where it gets
BAD.  The little girl had been living on RABBIT food.  To those of you that
do not have ferrets and may not know anything about them or what they need
for a diet......THIS IS VERY BAD!!!!  Please, let anyone you see buying a
ferret or talking about getting one, don't assume they may know what to buy.
Let them know what their new addition needs for nutrition to survive.  And
not only on food, but conditions that arent normally thought of, such as a
female NEEDS to be bred or fixed or she will die.
 
2) This next is about a major scam in the vetrinary business.  If, after
reading this story, you want any info on who the party's are, email me and I
will let you know.  A couple had been on vacation and their roommate was
watching their 6 ferrets.  While they were gone, he decided to move and left
their ferrets with a breeder for "sitting."  After coming home and spending
hours looking for their ferrets, the couple found them with this breeder..
While picking up their babies, they saw two more ferrets that were up for
adoption.  They decided to adopt and then the next day took the two to the
vet for the free check up most vets will provide for health inspection.  The
Vet told the couple that both ferrets needed to be fixed.  They told the Vet
to go ahead and do this and the vet performed the operations.  The total
cost was around $200 dollars per ferret.  They paid this and took their
fuzzies home.  A week later, the couple was looking through the paperwork
from the breeder and discovered taht ten days earlier, THIS SAME VET, had
already fixed the ferrets.  He did the operation TWICE!!!!  UUMMMM HELLO.
This same vet also brought ECE to Spokane AND mis-diagnoses it as something
that needs major money to be forked out.  Things are being done to get this
Vet disaccredited.  Please, Please, Please, try all you can to check into
your vet....if something is diagnosed, and you don't trust your vet
completely, GET A SECOND OPINION....Especially if this vet is new to you.
 
3) Thanks for letting me do such a long post!!!  Last but not least, Can
anyone give us information on something called hyper or hyposarcoma????????
One rescue ferret has been diagnosed with this condition.  (I forget if it
is a cancer....I believe Tracey was telling me it was) We were told this is
a rare condition and not found often.  Since we have no info on this.....we
don't know how to treat our little girl........(we know antibiotics.....we
just dont know what to look for in other ferrets or how to "treat" her.  )
If anyone has ANY information on this, please email me as soon as possible.
 
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
Heather (Come here sweeties.......TREATS!!!)
Jack (Hey!!! Watch the toes....I only have ten)
and our sweet fuzzies...
Eddie ( Excuse me, but my litter box seems to have been pooped in
twice....you better clean soon or I will poop in the other corner!!
Chester (Hey Eddie!! Watcha doin? Whatcha doin? Wanna play? Wanna
play? Sleep????? Whats that? Watcha doin?)
[Posted in FML issue 1908]