First let me tell you that I'm a rescue owner & operator and proud of it.
 
First and foremost (and I think I'm saying this for all ferret rescues ),
all rescue/shelter operators first obligation is to EDUCATE- THE- PUBLIC
about ferrets and ferret ownership.  What they should look for when
trying to find a good ferret vet, what types of food should be fed, the
different illnesses, how to take care of you ferret, why it is important
to VACCINATE" your ferret against "DISTEMPER & RAIBIES" and IS a ferret
the right pet/family member for you.  These are just a few of the things
we Educate the Public about.
 
Second, we take in unwanted, abused, neglected and abandoned ferrets of
ALL" ages.  We seek vet help when they are sick, make sure they are up
to date on their shots, make sure they get surgery if needed, give them
good food & fresh water 24/7, rehabilitate them, and give them lots of
"LOVE" and "HUMAN" contact.(As alot of the ferrets that come through our
rescues/shelters don't know what love is and some have never realy had
human contact.)
 
We do this because we LOVE ferrets!  We are passionate about them and
want to see the best for them.  We don't make any money by running a
rescue/shelter, heck we don't even break even, as a matter of fact we
are almost always in the red.  We pay for just about every thing out of
our own pockets, from the jobs a lot of us work at 35-60 hours a week.
 
We give our opinion & advice in hopes of helping someone who needs it and
don't know were else to turn.  Our "ADVICE" comes from talking to vets,
ferret breeders, other ferret rescues/shelters, the Internet, books
(Personaly I own & have read "Ferrets For Dummies" and in my opinion is
an excellent book that is filled with a lot of useful information and I
also own medical books I use as references.) personal experience, and
even other ferret owners.  There are many documentations in the FHL &
the FML archives that can back up our advice.
 
I could go on & on with examples, my point is, UNTIL you own/operate or
have volunteered at a ferret rescue and/or experienced your heart being
ripped out from watching your ferret go through anifalactic shock, are a
vet or vet tech, "PLEASE" do not be so quick to attack one of us as we
try to provide a valuable information & a service to people.  Next time
you have an emergency with your ferret and you CAN'T get a hold of your
vet or any vet to help you, WHO are you going to call that knows about
ferrets from first hand experience with them???
 
Debi
[Posted in FML issue 5122]