I too would like to express my admiration and support for Dr. Charles
Weiss.  Our first encounter with this wonderful doctor occurred when our
ferrets had contracted ECE in May 1996.  During the worst of it, my husband
Dennis would scurry home at lunch time to give meds and force-feed them,
then drive them over to the Potomac Animal Hospital to have little ones
rehydrated and dosed with vitamin B.  Along with Dr. Weiss' prompt
attention and my husband's vigilant care, our ferrets lived through a
particularly virulent outbreak of the virus.
 
Since then, Dr. Weiss has performed many surgical procedures on our
ferrets, including 2 splenectomies, 8 adrenalectomies, 1 liver surgery, 2
partial pancreatomies, and 2 surgical removals of obstructions.  The good
doctor has been known to keep his post-surgical ferret patients near him,
watching for any indications of trauma that might require immediate
attention.  Our ferrets were given a second chance to live thanks to his
surgical expertise performing delicate, detailed surgeries that require a
precise knowledge of ferret physiology and anatomy.  It is that knowledge
which allows him to not only operate on a diagnosed condition, but to
survey and assess other possible problems (kind of like checking under the
hood).  I have complete confidence that our ferrets were (are) given the
best possible chance for survival by having him as their surgeon.
 
Although Dr. Weiss is constantly busy, he takes the time to answer
questions, providing up-to-date information that has increased our ferret
knowledge and promoted the longevity of our ferrets.  I can't tell you HOW
many times he has made calls from his cell phone on the way home from the
clinic to follow up or answer our questions, or make his home number
available to us for true emergencies.  I can't tell you HOW many times he
has tried to make surgeries as affordable as possible, never overcharging
or taking advantage of his clients.  Dr. Weiss is a very generous man, not
just with his knowledge, time, and expertise, but financially, as well.  He
has many times absorbed the extra cost of exploratory test procedures and
other extras, without ever a mention of his generosity.  As for fatalities,
only once did we lose a little boy, who survived the surgery, but could not
sustain life because his body was already so weakened by disease.  Again,
Dr. Weiss, both soft-spoken and calm, remained close to our dying baby,
then handled our loss and grief with compassion and acknowledgement of
the dignity of all life.  He is truly a rare combination; a competent and
brilliant specialist who is humble and kind to the smallest of creatures;
yet, a seemingly tireless proactive promoter and supporter of an ever
growing body of medical knowledge and breakthroughs for the ferret
community.  Thank you, Dr. Weiss.  You're a good friend to all ferrets and
their owners.
 
Leslie & the Dirty Dozen
"I have a plan so cunning, you could put a tail on it and call it a
weasel." -- the Black Adder
[Posted in FML issue 2854]