So far this week, I've received 3 new babies.  One is a little girl,
Missy, who was abandoned at the SPCA, apparently just left on their door
step.  She was scared to death when I first brought her to the shelter,
but is slowly coming out of her shell.  She has a broken top canine but
it doesn't seem to bother her.  She's about 2 years old.
 
Two others were received just yesterday.Got a call from a lady who's son
is in Iraq.  Her son's wife is pregnant and is living with her.  The son
and DIL have two ferrets, and the DIL no longer wants to care for them.
When I picked them up, I was shocked.  The two babies, Biscuit and
Muffin, were in a small, one level Super Pet rabbit cage with not one
piece of bedding.  The bottom of the cage had a bit of cat litter in it.
There were two small bowls which could easily be tipped over and they
were.  These poor babies, a male and female, had to sleep in the litter
and pick through it to get to their food.  Both immediately got a bath,
and judging by the dirty water, had apparently been living in these
conditions for quite some time.  Their coats feel like sand paper.  When
I placed them in a cage with a hammock and bedding, they looked like they
died and gone to heaven.  They already have a vet appt.  lined up for
tomorrow for shots and blood draws for ADV testing.  Very cute babies
and just over a year old.
 
I have two more coming this weekend.  A woman wanted to surrender four
ferrets, two of them are 7 and 9 years old and bald.  The other two are
3 years old.  None have been to a vet in over 2 years.  I was honest
with the woman and told her the two older ones would not last long in a
shelter situation and it would be best if she would keep them with her
for what little time they have left.  She agreed.  She wants to bring the
other two to my home so she can see where they are going to be placed
because she's "concerned" about them.
 
Since taking over the shelter operations, it has been both rewarding and
sad.  I had my first shelter loss, a sweet little girl who had a whole
in her intestine do to cancer.  But there's Sammy, a bald, skinny ferret
found as a stray and turned over to Animal Control.  After a melatonin
implant and a good diet, he's now fat and happy with a thick, beautiful
coat.  When I look at him and how far he's come, it's all worth it!
 
Connie
Distributor for Natural Gold Ferret Food
Shelter Director-Ferret Waystation
[Posted in FML issue 5149]