We recently received a call on our emergency hotline from the mother of a
young man who went out to the unheated garage to check on his roommate's
ferrets, only to find the female of the pair was dead.  This gentleman
was beside himself, only staying in the garage long enough to grab the
male out of the cage and put him in the bathroom, as he thought the other
one had frozen to death.  Frantically calling his mother, who in turn
called us, to request that we pick up both of the ferrets.  In the
process of arranging a pick up, the roommate, and owner of these ferrets,
came home to learn of their condition.  He placed the female into a
garbage bag for later burial; he then took the male and gave him up to
a few individuals claiming he was a stray ferret.  He then called us to
advise us of the ferret's location and stated that his reasoning for
giving the ferret away as a stray was to ensure that he would not be
charged for abuse or neglect.
 
We were then contacted again to go and pick the ferret up from the
individuals who now had him.  They told us on the phone that they thought
this little one was very sick and in need of immediate veterinary care.
Not knowing what may have caused the death of this ferret's cage mate we
took all precautions to ensure that it would not be transferred to any
other ferrets in our care.  Although upon arriving to pick up the ferret
it was strikingly obvious what was wrong with him, and what caused the
death of his friend.  This little ferret was being starved to death, and
as he fought to stay alive he was forced to watch his friend slowly lose
her battle.her fight for life.  In the end he laid beside her cold
lifeless body for upwards of 36 hours waiting for his chance to find
peace.
 
We rushed him into the veterinarian for a quick check over before being
sent home with an hourly schedule of Sub-Q fluids and moist food
supplements.  We have given him the name of Mason, and his former cage
mate we named Tenshi, which means angel or heavenly gift.  We felt we had
to name her as then she would not drift away in our thoughts, only to be
another pet that had been fatally disappointed by humans, but instead be
remembered forever.  Mason has proved to be quite the little trooper.
Never have we seen a ferret more dehydrated than him, you could easily
pinch an inch or more of skin on the back of his neck and NOTHING moved
when the pinch was released.  He is 24 inches long and weighs a mere 620
grams (1.36 pounds).  His hind end is chapped, raw, and scabbing over,
indicating that this has been an ongoing problem for him.  Mason is
emotionally and physically weak and exhausted, he clings to anyone who
will offer him a soft voice, kind touch, or gentle kiss.
 
The worst part is this little one is less than 2 years old.  The horror,
pain, and suffering that he has had to endure in his short life is
unforgivable.  It is a miracle that he managed to fight his way through
such awful treatment, or more miraculously that he saw reason in his
fight for survival.
 
We took Mason back to the veterinarian only 24 hours after he came to us
and he has actually already gained 50 grams!  His eyes are brighter and
have some life.  We hope that with a few prayers, hand feedings, and a
continuous flow of fluids, we will have a bouncing little man.  Ready to
start a new life, a life with love, care, and compassion..a life that he
so deserves.
 
We have contacted the local Humane Society and I am glad to say that the
former owner is now banned from ever adopting an animal from them.  It
seems in vain now that he has killed one animal, but I guess we all can
be thankful that it will be harder for him next time, maybe hard enough
to make his efforts seem pointless.
 
Marcy Kimura
President -
Ferret Rescue and Education Society (FRES)
www.ferrets.ca
[Posted in FML issue 3942]