Hello all!
 
First, Patches is back home with me right now.  He had the surgery, speen
removed (they even showed it to me...uggg!  Really, really big, I can't
believe that was INSIDE of him...).  The vet said that the liver appears to
have been affected as well, but that all other internal organs look just
fine!  He was quite awake and alert when I picked him up, when I got him
home he bolted for his cage and water dish, but collapsed after that, and
he's been snoozing ever since.  I am so glad that I made the decision I did
to have surgery.  Whether it adds 2 months or 2 years to his life, I can
already tell how much happier he is to have that darn spleen out.
 
So, that's my good news, I'm finally feeling chipper again! Now, about some
miscellaneous IFRIC information, and other stuff:
All of the volunteers that offered to research BEFORE Thursday should have
received a message from me pointing them the the URL of the Volunteer web
site (only open to IFRIC volunteers).  If you had offered to vounteer before
Thursday, and you did not receive the message with the URL, let me know and
we'll try to find the problem.  If you volunteered after Thursday, you will
be added to the mail list and will receive the URL sometime this weekend
(Sunday most likely).
 
As for the fact that apparently there is more than one page similar to the
IFRIC: I've received many messages from IFRIC volunteers (and many non-IFRIC
volunteers) stating that they believed that we should do our project as
planned anyway, that our site will be very comprehensive and a big resource
to ferret owners all over the world.  I agree, so the issue of other similar
sites is dropped; the internet is free market, there's nothing I can do.  My
only regret is that I believed that everyone wanted to make sure this
information was all in one place to avoid confusion.  C'est La Vie...I
offered to do this page and I'm sticking with it!  :-)
 
Finally, with everything I've gone through in the past couple of days, I
will be unavailable to be reached until Sunday sometime.  Patches, my
fiance, and I are going to spend some time together without the interruption
of anything remotely disturbing <grin>.  I feel comfortable by this decision
as IFRIC volunteers won't be able to get any information (and thus have
questions needing support) over the weekend anyway.  I just need 48 hours
away from this computer monitor.
 
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who wished Patches well (and even
sent FLOWERS--Karen, thanks...), you all are so wonderful.  And an equally
big THANK YOU to everyone who is working on the IFRIC page.  I am always
available for questions or concerns...well, after Sunday, anyway!  :-)
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Kymberlie Becker
Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
"Forget Puppy Love...There's nothing Greater than Ferret Love!" TM
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/ferretlady
[Posted in FML issue 2000]