i have a very special girl here- with very special needs.I call her sophie
and she is maybe a year and a half or so...She came to me when i was aksed
to foster a "lost ferret, found by someone in their garage' by a new york
agency(( ferret adoption and resuce )) i work with sometimes..I was told
she was a little thin>  When she arrived she was skin hanging from bone-
she was covered with sores on her skin and in her mouth..Her eyes were
sunken in.  Her coat was very sparse and coarse.She was so weak she could
not walk.She was past the point of even wanting to eat or drink anymore
and had to be force fed.
 
But the truly shocking thing was her fear level.  i could not account
for it even given the fact that she had been out afraid for maybe 2 weeks
( which i understand is about the survival max)---
 
her fear was so intense that whenever the other ferrets would come near she
would not only hiss but screech and then lose bowel and bladder control.
she would only allow me to hold her if she was wrapped in my shirt or she
would tremble..- and i took to carrying her around in a picnic basket
covered by my t- shirt..she had to be covered at all times ( or she was
very frightened) and would not come out to walk about ( when she was
strong enough) - she would not play- she had no interest in anything...
her condition when she first came was heartwrenching--
 
i am in the medical field and when i was petting her and trying to hand
feed her ferretvite i felt something weird on her head, sometimes what is
true of people is true of critters as well - and the lumps and jagged edges
i felt on her skull seem to be from a poorly healed fracture ( which could
only be caused by abuse or falling a great distance)- so i would say that
given her behavior and the conditon of her physically she has been abused-
and badly..then dumped..
 
but still she is not aggresive or a biter and seems to have a sweet nature
despite all.  two months later she is beggining to come around.  will allow
me to pet her, will even give me kisses, is eating and drinking on her own,
has put on some weight, is willing to come out from under my shirt and
explore the house, but is still absolutly terrifed of the other ferrets
and loses bowel and bladder control from the intensity of her fear..she
is regaining her trust in humans and seems willing to make a bond...
 
She needs a home that is quiet, no other pets ( of any kind !!!) , and
with someone with plenty of TLC to spare and time to re- socialize little
sophie..  poor sophie canot tell me what has happened to her- but i know
it is not good and she needs a second chance at life--
 
the kind of home she needs will be hard to find, but please everyone spread
the word and lets try to give sophie the love and security she deserves-
 
i live on long island ,NY
 
-- christine
[Posted in FML issue 3466]