Greetings Everyone!  I don't post very often but read the list everyday.
I run a newer shelter/organization with my good friend.  We have set up
procedures for new ferrets that come in and we have been lucky that we
haven't been swamped...yet.
 
Anyways we have an interesting case and I'm wondering if anyone would be
able to offer up and advice or assistance.  We got in 5 ferrets from
Northeast Texas.  They had a few bumps in the road getting here.  There
were originally 12.  The 12 ferrets were kept in a dog kennel with a
dirt floor, no food or water.  Someone went to the house, another animal
rescuer although I don't know his name, and rescued the ferrets.  By
the time that the guy got there some were already dead, as in way past
rigamortis dead.  So the 12 remaining were taken.  After that 4 of the
ferrets were taken to a lady that had ferrets and lived near by.  8 of
the ferrets went to the rescuers home and escaped from the large cat
carrier that he had them in for transport.  (I'm assuming that he doesn't
have much ferret experience)  He tried to catch all of them but only
wound up finding 5.  So, the 5 came to us.
 
The ferrets were very thin but other than that looked medically ok.  They
are eating very well and putting on weight quickly.  They were then taken
to the vet for shots and ADV testing and health check.  All 5 were kept
separate from the other ferrets in the house, every precaution was being
taken.  Their linens weren't even done in the same load of laundry with
bleach.  We have a quarantine room in that house.  ADV testing comes
back, Avacon saliva (not the quick test) 3 of the 5 are positive.  Now
the panicking starts.  We have about 4 houses that the ferrets that come
to us are split between.  I take the ones with behavioral problems to be
corrected.  My other director takes the medicals.  The other 2 houses are
where the healthy and behaviorally normal ones go, we have it set up this
way so that they don't get shelter shock and give the behaviorally normal
ones any behavior problems.  It's just easier on the ferrets.  We do not
have an ADV positive home for them to go to and I can not loose my
medical house to become ADV positive.
 
But it get's worse, the 5 ferrets are all around 2-3 years old and they
are out for blood.  Some of the worst biters that I have seen in a while,
since my Pandora (she bit 2 people in the face among other places and
people and one bite required stitches) Took me 6 months to rehab her and
about 1-2 years before I was comfortable with other people handling her
without me there.  Now she's my snuggliest ferret.  I have 2 def and 1
blind.  This is why I take the ones with behavior problems.  They just
need a little work and a lot of love before they go to their new homes.
I cannot take these 5.  I don't have anywhere to be able to segregate
them in my home from the other ferrets.  So I can deal with the biting,
but not the ADV.  The other 2 foster homes could deal with the ADV but
not with them being bad biters, they just don't have the experience.
Also, keeping them in the house that they are currently in is just not
an option.  I cannot loose my sick home to ADV, and I just can't put the
adrenals and insulinomics at risk.  So just declaring her an ADV home is
not an option.  She doesn't have a full time job, so she is the best
medical house that you could ask for.
 
So here is my question to all of you.  Where do you put ADV positive
ferrets that are out for blood?  It would be so much easier if they were
sweet and snuggly, but they aren't.  At least not right now, but maybe
with time and love.  If anyone has any suggestions or knows someone that
would be interested in caring for them, please email me or just post.
 
PS: Already called Yvonne at Fuzztec's in NJ who is a friend (ADV
positive shelter-since closed down) and she can't take them, called STAR
in Texas and she is ADV free now and can't take them, also talked to
Faith the AFA shelter director (who also happens to be my volunteering
boss) and the only one that came to mind for her was STAR.  A message
about this case is also being posted to the ADV board.  So if this is
what came to mind for you, it's already been tried...lol
 
Take care,
Samantha
[Posted in FML issue 5154]