Hello everyone..  I am sorry I have been quiet here for a little while.
I have been talking off list with some people and on other groups... but
I hadn't posted here in awhile and felt I should... and needed to.
 
As you may remember, our friend John adopted a ferret named Stinker from
us over a year ago.  In August she passed suddenly with no reason...He
woke up to find her in her sleepsack with her cage mate Mocha...She had
passed sometime in her sleep.  It was very hard on us because she was one
of my babies....
 
September proved to be hard too... We lost our permanent resident Zippy
right after surgery for insulinoma.  He also had adrenal and lymphoma
which we didn't know until the surgery.  Zippys passing has been really
hard on me because he was my little Shadow.  I have yet to write his
story....it hurts too much even now.
 
We decided in September to close the shelter down to surrenders because
we were just too full.  We had 25 ferrets in house and couldn't give them
all of the love and care that we felt they needed.  So, we have been
working on adopting kids out.
 
October was looking good.  We had a wonderful Ferrets on the Loose
Picnic/Fundraiser and raised almost $300.00 for the vet!  We had adopted
out a couple ferrets and had received donations from people to help with
the vet bills.  SOS donated vouchers to the Ferret Store for food.
 
Then 2 more deaths...
 
Another shelter girl, Mocha, who had been adopted by John about a year
ago back started going down hill.  She had adrenal surgery a couple
months ago and was slowly recovering... then her cagemate and best friend
Stinker died.... Mocha didn't get along with the other ferrets in the
house so Stinker was her only friend.  She started losing weight.  We
started her on medication and baby food... then she took a turn for the
worse and John brought her over to our house to see what else we could
do.  We syringe fed her for a day... the next day she looked worse...
She died in my arms as I was on the phone calling her dad.  I knew it
was coming.  She had that look in her eyes that I have seen one other
time...with Buster.
 
Then just this week, Tuesday, we get a call at 6 am from Shawns family.
His dad died in his sleep.  He was only 68.  They believe it was a heart
attack.  They wanted him to come to NC for the funeral and to be with
family.  So, Wednesday we drove to Phoenix so that he could catch a
flight out (cheaper).  He should be home next Thursday.
 
I am hoping that November proves to be a better month for us... and for
everyone....
 
Have a great weekend and remember.... HAVE A FERRET OF A DAY!
 
Joanne Ruffner
Ferret Corner Shelter
"Ferrets are the Spice of Life"
www.geocities.com/ferretcorneraz
www.supportourshelters.org
www.geocities.com/neverforeverland
 
There's a pot of Ferret Love at the end of the Rainbow
[Posted in FML issue 4318]