Well, ferret math almost struck today.  We've been debating for quite awhile
about getting a companion for 5 yr old female Whidbey.  Whidbey had her left
adrenal gland removed in March and even though it now looks as though there
is a problem with her right gland, she is ever so much full of energy & fun.
We thought that she might really enjoy a playmate her own size.
 
Well, we tracked down this so called club/shelter in the Quebec City area,
and yes they did have a fuzzy ready to adopt.  Off we went with carry cage &
our own little one (to see if they would get along) in hand.  Well in less
than 2 minutes this "shelter operator" told us that we should *NEVER* have
had Whidbey's adrenal gland removed and that she was going to die in 3
months, as well as that the swollen vulva was caused by her being in heat or
because of ovarian remnants.  When we tried to explain to her some of the
symptoms of adrenal gland disease she argued and stated that we should be
using ONLY homeopathis medicine and that our vets were incompetant.  She
then picked up the phone to call her shelter contact in Montreal to verify
our ignorance about ferrets.  We'll she hung up alittle less sure about
Whidbey's diagonis and course of treatment.  She then asked what kind of
food we feed her - Iams kitten chow - she then told us that it was terrible
& that we shouldn't be feeding that to her.  She then proceded to tell us
that getting another ferret would be extremely bad for her as it would put
too much stress on Whidbey, but she would adopt one to us anyways with a $40
membership fee and a $90 adoption fee.  When asked what the membership fee
included she said that it went to support the shelter, later she gave us an
info sheet explaining that we could be free nail clipping 2 time/year,
special ear mite treating, discount food, & a $15 dollar rebate on vaccines -
the only problem is that it is only given in Montreal which is 3 hours away.
Maybe 1 newsletter a year, no meetings, maybe one or two get-togethers,
that's it.  Apparently, the Quebec City branch is basically just a drop-off
for the shelter in Montreal.  Anyways, we found her to be really offensive &
not very knowledgeable either.  Oh, another thing she told us is that
ferrets only live to be a maximum of 6 years old.
 
When we got home, Denis immediately phoned the Montreal shelter to complain.
The women he spoke to stated that ours was the 3rd complaint this week.  She
seemed somewhat more knowledgeable but not what I would expect from a
shelter operator and also a bit in over her head.  It doesn`t sound as
though there is a real club as no one is interested in doing any of the work
involved, and she stated that she has about 70 ferrets in her shelter (again
with no help).  The only money coming in is from the membership & adoption
fees so needless to say she is having a hard time.
 
I`m not asking anyone to send her money, but maybe some of you Montrealer`s
can check the shelter out & maybe give her a hand in starting up some kind
of club activies such as fundraising & info sessions.  The "shelter" is
called "Furet mon ami" & is run by Jeannine Degand, the number is (514)
447-5055.
 
Sorry for such a long posting, but we just couldn't beleive our ears & the
mis-information that was being spread by someone who is supposed to be
helping ferrets.
 
Edith & Denis
[Posted in FML issue 1623]