Hi Everyone,
 
I have a question for all the shelter owners out there: When you take in
a rescue do you take the new baby to the vet right away for shots and a
general check up?  Or are shots and that initial check up the
responsibility of the person adopting the ferret?
 
The situation that I find myself in is that I'm a new ferret owner.  I got
one kit a year ago and decided that she needed a cage mate.  Well, I wanted
a rescue because I though it was the right thing to do.  I contacted my
local shelter and arranged to see the ferret.  The shelter owner said that
the baby was about 2 to 3 years old and had had a hard life.  This baby
looked like he needed a home bad.  She wasn't feeding the right kind of
food (Iams cat chow, said that mature ferrets can't handle the excess fat
and protein) and she said he had lost a lot of weight since he had been in
the shelter for the last 3wks.  But she still hadn't taken him to the Vet!
I told her that I was going to take him to the vet right away and she
looked evasive and said that the vet hadn't seen him and she gave me a
discount for the weezel.  Bells should have been ringing about now but they
weren't.  Anyway, I get him to the vet and I find that he's actually 4 to 5
years old, has ear mites and has adreanal disease!  I am soo mad because I
was really trying to do the right thing.  I'm not giving him back--Never.
He's too cute and sweet and deserves better.
 
Sorry for such a long post.
 
Dooks,
 
Julie
[Posted in FML issue 2712]