While many of us find that small events can have a big effect, not all of
us end up with our lives decided because of them.  But that is exactly
what happened to this speaker.  Just how did she get involved with
ferrets?  Let s hear her tell it.  *At the end of my Veterinary Medicine
study I had to write an essay about a veterinary topic.  I went to the
professor for a short story about scabies in guinea pigs.  But he said
that wasn't interesting enough and he persuaded me to write about the
diseases of ferrets.
 
*I had never seen a ferret in my life, but I did.  Unfortunately it
wasn't a short story.  My husband bought me a ferret so I could learn
to know more about this little creature I was writing about.  I found
hundreds of articles about the ferret and I wrote in my own language a
big essay about the ferret and its diseases.*  That was 18 years ago!
 
In 1988 she and her husband started a veterinary hospital of their own.
Take a couple of veterinarians, put them together and what do you get?
This speaker s favorite nonferret memory, of course.  That would be her 6
year old daughter.  She and her family live above their veterinary clinic
with their dogs and ferret, Kees, where they relax by spending Sunday
morning in bed watching a video.  Two and a half years ago, in order to
spend more time with her daughter, she decided to work less and to treat
only ferrets.  *But at this moment I am as busy as I was 3 years ago,
but now only with ferrets.*
 
California would be no challenge to this ferret lover.  Her favorite
ferret memory is of Nipper, one of her first ferrets.  *I smuggled him
from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands.  He was one of the first
cinnamon ferrets in my country.*
 
Professional courtesy is not just a passing fancy with this speaker.
When asked about a hero, she was quick to reply, *I admire Susan A.
Brown (Midwest Bird and Exotic Animal Hospital in Chicago) not only for
her knowledge about ferrets but also as wonderful person and a caring
human being.*
 
Who would she like to share a day of her life with?  *Richard Gere.  I
don't think I have to explain why :-)* Perhaps they could share an
afternoon at the theatre viewing The Bridges of Madison County or sharing
passages from Jane Austen s Pride and Prejudice while listening to Louis
Armstrong croon *It s A Wonderful World.*
 
*I would like to be remembered as a loving and caring mother and vet.
And... if possible, as a vet who helped the ferrets in Europe to be more
healthier.*  That doesn t appear to be anything too difficult for this
amazing woman, who was instrumental in founding the first Dutch Ferret
Foundation, to accomplish.  I think she has already reserved that spot!
Go visit Dr. Moorman at http://www.dierenkliniek.com or by dropping a
note to her at [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 4285]