s folks....Debbie and her Roommate in northern Virginia are sending funds to
sponsor Cocoa Puff and Duchess ! ! !  Isn't that great?  Thank you so much
guys.  The girls are thrilled and bugging me to have another celebration
party.  Now I have really started something with this 'party' thing.  They
don't seem to understand that we just can't have a party *everyday*!  They
simply are not allowed Nutri-Cal and raisins that often because they can
overdose on them, any ideas on how to get a ferret to understand this?
Incidentally, isn't it wonderful that ferrets seem to be happy an 'having a
party' everyday of their lives, sure wish humans could be like that.
 
Okay, on to the profiles...
 
** Festus ** He is oh, maybe, 3 years old, it is hard to tell.  He is a thin
light sable male that was found wandering an apartment complex several
months ago and was lucky enough to be spotted by a ferret owner.  This
ferret owner somehow found me (50 miles away) and I picked up Festus.
 
He was somewhat thin but looked okay considering he had been 'on his own in
the great outdoors' for a while.  His owner could not be found, so he came
to the shelter.  The first couple of weeks he got hairball medicine
frequently because he kept passing hair in his poop.  It took some time
before his poop became normal.  He was eating pretty well and seemed fine.
He was up for adoption for a while.  Then as months passed he began eating
less and looking poorly.  He was removed quickly from the "available" list
and extra quantities of TLC were administered.  He really had no 'symptoms',
he simply became less interested in food.
 
Soon we were hit with the greenies and he went for almost a month before he
finally caught it from the others.  He seemed to get over it, then he had a
relapse, then he got over it then had another relapse, and again.  We have
gone through alot of duck soup with him and even Amoxicillin, but nothing
has really helped.  He just seems to get beter for no reason, then worse for
no reason.  He is getting thinner and refuses dry food pretty much, no
matter what kind I offer.  Once in a while he will take some of the 'cheap
catfoods', ignoring the Totally Ferret and other top of the line foods, he
is so frustrating, but I use these cheaper foods just to keep him eating
*something* on his own.
 
Last Thursday I took him to the vet and after an examination, the vet
suggested that we treat as if there is still a trace of hairbal problem and
also for an ulcer, just in case, as it seems a gastric probelm of some sort.
So we are still on the duck soup and he gets Amoxicillin twice a day and
lots of love.  He sleeps alot and, if left to himself, would sleep all the
time and probably never eat.
 
I am open to suggestions if anyone has any on this little ones' problem.
 
Better make this one short so it will be in in time to make tomorrows FML.
The next profile will be of Topanga, the little 9 month old who came to the
shelter in heat a couple of weeks ago.  I will also do Rags' profile...good
news, Rags has a wonderful home waiting already for him.  Other profiles if
there is room.
 
Thank you all for the wonderful letters, it helps just to know that some
people *do* care.
 
Love to all, and LOTS of ferret kisses * * * * * *
 
Trish
Director, Ferrets First Rescue & Shelter
[Posted in FML issue 1539]