The first thing I want to do is thank everyone who spent hours trying to
figure a way for me to keep new born kits and their Mom alive.  It amazes
me how the ferret community rallies to aid one another.
 
Forty two days ago, a man who thought he'd get rich breeding ferrets brought
me a pair of "rare albinos", turned out to be cinnamon pandas.  Scratchy,
the male, and Itchy the just bred female (gee think he liked the Simpsons?
Both were beautiful, and personality plus, gentlest male in heat I ever met.
 
Well, Itchy won my heart, perfect little lady, sweet, just a doll.  She had
started having her kits around 5 PM., April 15th.  She was throwing them
out of the nesting box, and out of the cage, one was in a water bowl.  By 7
PM, she was in trouble.  John & I were trying to keep the kits warm, and
safe, I was trying to find a vet to do a c section.
 
Bev Fox, had ICQ lit up with the problems I was having, and kept her two
phone lines busy trying to reach people that could help.  The vet I usually
go to was unavailable.  The secondary, the third, and the fourth were all
unavailable.  The fourth had to treat a dog with an asthma problem.  He
suggested the Emergency Hospital off Brookpark, a place I try never to go
to, but that is another story.  But I went anyway.
 
Ultra sounds are done, there is a kit, no where near the birth canal, so
she went through 4 shots (one every 15 minutes) of oscitoxin (sp) to induce
labor.  Nothing but after birth.  Another ultra sound, the kit is still
there, and all vital signs are good.  She'd be ok till the morning when my
regular vet could do the c section.  Uncertain, I asked about what
anesthesia they used, and it isn't the one they should for ferrets.  Tough
choice, do I insist they do a c section with the wrong stuff, not trusting
the vet, or wait?  He really didn't want to do the surgery in the first
place.  We'll go to the normal vet.
 
8:00 AM, I am on the phone to the vet in N.Ridgeville, telling the girl this
is an EMERGENCY, I have a pregnant ferret that needs a c section right now.
I get told she'd get the vet to call me back.
 
After 35 minutes, I call the vet in Parma, get her here now.  I am off.  In
the meantime, the first vet called back, the receptionist put the note on a
bulletin board for non emergency cases, she thought I was over reacting.
He says get that ferret in here now.
 
Well, she died during surgery, she hemorrhaged.  Doc.  T.  (Parma) called
me as was crying over the phone, he lost her, all he kept saying was he was
sorry, he lost her.
 
In the meantime, I am feeding 4 kits with a make shift feeder, trying to
find a nipple small enough.  The kits were kept alive for about 30 hours
with feedings every hour, and gentle rubbing the tummy for potty breaks.
 
I got a call from Scarlet Grey in Columbus, her jill had babies a few
days ago, and one very recently, both are great mothers.  Bring them
down.  After checking the weather, we opted to wait for Friday,
thunderstorms, and tornado warnings, but then I went to feed the kits,
and two of the four are dead.  Call Scarlet, we are on our way, she was
on the other line with Laurie Long, and Linda Iroff, they said they'd
make the drive, they knew no one in this house got any sleep.
 
Laurie and Linda arrive, the first thing I hear is, she looks like shit.  We
tuck the two living kits into Linda's shirt and they were off, unfortunately
on the way, one kit died, but one still was alive.
 
Laurie and Linda got him there and he took to his foster mom in a heart
beat, and she to him.  Scarlet says every time she checks he is eating.
He has been named Trooper.  Scarlet came up with that name and I think
it fits.
 
I lost six ferrets in the matter of a little over 30 hours.  Mom, and five
kits.  Anyone who thinks that breeding is easy, just contact me, I'll give
you an ear full.  It isn't.  I don't breed, I am a shelter, and I won't
breed, after this, I can appreciate what the breeder go through.  I can't
deal with it.
[Posted in FML issue 2282]