Alicia, I am sorry to read you sounding so exhausted.  You are right that
it's one hell of a problem, and it's just getting worse and worse as more
people get ferrets who should not have them in the first place.  Impulse
purchases by uninformed people may be the absolute worst enemy ferrets
have.  Such people in very large numbers don't provide proper care, don't
use effective training techniques, and then unload the animals in sorry
shape --physically and emotionally.  For all the good ones who we hear from
who want to learn how many others are there who just plain don't care?  If
there weren't early neuters, what you'd be getting in would be advanced
aplastic anemia and there would be more irresponsible people breeding so
maybe there's an up-side here.  There's no easy answer though we'd all
really like one.  You know those things, though, so forgive me for being
simplistic; I'm tired, too.
 
I am VERY worried about ferrets getting into being like cats and dogs.  Saw
the number recently and 11 MILLION cats and dogs are destroyed annually in
the U.S. because there is no place to put them.  11,000,000 DEAD!!!!!!!!!!
This is only because of having no homes while folks still buy cats and
dogs.  Hey, when possible, folks, GO TO A SHELTER!!!!!!!!!  That stands
for ferrets, too.  In this regard, the saying "If you aren't part of the
solution you are part of the problem." can very painfully often hold true
when a person ignores options for where to get a critter while those exist.
Sometimes the option isn't there, or sometimes a person just plain needs to
try a breeder's young one for emotional reasons, but if there's a shelter
you can use at least get some of your ferrets there!
 
I suspect that the best solution to the health crises is still going to
ultimately rest with more medical research being done because I think
people will continue to breed and sell plenty of ferrets, and others will
still naively buy them thinking that they need little care.  Cats and dogs
are more common but see at how often people screw-up with those, even with
info all over the place.  Look at how very often we hear on the FML (or by
related private mails) from people who can't afford the care their pets
need, and these are the few who actually care enough that they are trying.
My fond hope is that practical and affordable solutions can be found from
a medical standpoint once enough veterinary research is done because I
suspect the shelter crises are going to just tilt more and more to being
like the ones facing dogs and cats.  Medical solutions could offer some
relief and help ferrets.  It's heart-breaking right now.
 
It has been interesting reading the alternative options which mesh with the
patterns seen.  Those are important learning opportunities and that's part
of what we all like about the FML; it makes it so very worthwhile as well
as making it an effective tool for helping ferrets.  (Thanks for doing the
work so we can all continue to learn, Bill!)
 
Going to get off the soap box now with one final note to the FML:
about a year ago someone asked my help with something for that person's
ferrets.  (I get a lot of these each week so unless you are the one
involved you won't know who it is, and I doubt that person cared enough to
still be here.)  I gave the person some information and told the person
what that individual could do.  Know what I got back (?): a letter balling
me out for giving the owner things to do!!!!!!  I was told that since I am
one of the people who does a lot for ferrets that I should also do all of
this.  Well, people, folks like Alicia, and Bill, and Bob, and Troy Lynn,
and Pam, and Julianna, and Jan, and Debbie, and Karen, and Hanan, and
Bruce, and Sally, and Freddie, and Roxanne, and Anne, and Jeanne, and
Scott, and Mike, and Dick, and Diane, and ALL THE REST (including me) also
have lives, so what we do to help others therefore has limits -- or we'd
literally be dropping dead on you from exhaustion, pneumonia, and so on.
We do NOT have infinite space, or infinite time, or infinite wallets, or
infinite contacts, and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US IS VERY, VERY, VERY HAPPY
WHENEVER SOMEONE ELSE TAKES UP A PROJECT TO HELP FERRETS.  It doesn't have
to be large, but if it (as long as you are up to it) that's marvelous.
Still, if you can afford to give moneys to shelters or to the medical
research to help improve veterinary care that's going to be a true help.
If you can clean cages at a shelter that's going to relieve people who are
often near dropping.  If you can educate that's going to save ferrets.  If
you can politely go to meetings like the one in NYC on 6/3 with the Health
Dept.  -- which could make things either better or worse for ferrets
depending on the turnout and how logical ferret-folks are during the
meeting you can aid ferrets.  If you can find your own special way to make
the world better for these wonderful critters it's going to be appreciated
by everyone.  Sometimes folks don't get a chance to say "Thank you!" to
everyone out there who runs a shelter, cleans a shelter, provides
information, rehabs abuse victims, furthers legislation, or finds solutions
for our ill ferrets, but that doesn't mean you aren't appreciated.  YOU ARE
HEROS!!!!!!  Don't ever forget it, and never doubt it!
[Posted in FML issue 2685]