Hello again.
 
I live in Southern Ontario, Canada and saw the Oregon Fun Frolic at the
close of the news as well.  What a surprise.  The segment was on the ferret
tube races and it was really cute.  All in all it was a positive ferret PR.
 
Our numbers are up to 10 once again.  We got a new little girl about a week
ago.  About 4 years ago we had a little girl come to visit our Buddy for 2
weeks (long story) and we were supposed to get a kit if she had a litter.
We have never heard from them until about a month ago.  We still don't know
if this little one is our Buddy's dauthter but that's not the point here.
This new one we were told was a viscious (wasn't handled much by people)
little ferret and the couple was separated and neither one had the time to
look after it.  It was 4 yr.  old, not spayed, and not up to date on her
shots.  We needed a day to think it over because we didn't have the space,
or the money to take her to the vet and get her shots and get her spayed,
not to mention the fact that we were already trying to rehab.  a biter,
work, and look after 9 ferrets and a dog.  They were going to take her to a
place in Toronto that was a no-kill place but they were going to have to pay
$70.00 to drop her off.  We decided to take her but couldn't get them until
almost 2 weeks later.  They had gone on holidays and left the ferret in the
garage, and someone (who was supposedly a trusted friend and had been for 20
yr.) was to come and look after it.  It was one of the hottest weeks of the
year in an unairconditioned garage and no-one came to give her food and
water for a whole week.  She was barely holding her own when they got home.
She had lost almost half of her body weight and almost all of her fur.  They
put her in water to cool her off and started to feed her and give her
vitamins.  She almost died but has survived.  They said they hesitated to
call until they got some meat back on her bones and fur back on her body.
We went to pick her up and what a sight.  She had improved some but boy was
she skinny.  She is gaining weight every day and playing like a trooper.
She is also relaxing some.  When she came was she ever stiff and rigid and
frightened.  No wonder she was "viscious." Her biting has already improved.
I will keep you posted as to how she is doing.  We are calling her Misty and
she is a silver blaze (I think that is what you would call her).
 
I do have one question though.  Those of you who have rescued ferrets that
came almost starved, was fur loss one of the symptoms?  Or are we looking
at adrenal problems?  The fur loss is in all of the classic adrenal places.
She eats fine, her poops look fine and she plays (we were afraid that she
may have brain damage or some other problems as a result of this overheating
and starvation but she seems fine up to this point) and is becoming a
"normal" ferret.  I also hope that she won't get into heat before we can
fatten her up and have her spayed.  Any comments on this would be welcome
too.
 
Thanks in advance for your input.
 
Take care.
Tryntje Miller.
[Posted in FML issue 2413]