>There are only 2 ADV tests out there - and neither requires a vet to do
>if you are willing to pull your own blood.  The kit for ADV testing for
>200 ferrets costs $13.45.  Trim a nail, collect the blood yourself and
>then pay for overnight shipping.=A0 She can also have the vet pull the
>blood and send the test away herself to save on fees."
 
Trimming a nail works, but it sure is more painful for a longer period of
time for the ferret than a venipuncture.  And you can order the United
Vaccines test kit for 200 ferrets pretty cheap, but it is still at least
$10 per test (I think it's $12 for the first, and $10 for each additional
one you send at the same time) to get the blood tested each time, & you
still have to pay shipping.  So it could be a financial hardship when
you've already paid for several animals to have surgeries, etc.  The
saliva test has proved to be not accurate enough for my tastes.
 
I know Kim works very hard to give her ferrets everything they need.  She
goes without a lot for herself, she is working several odd jobs as they
come up now that her fulltime job fell through.  She has taken in these
ferrets b/c the alternative has been them getting released onto the
street or worse.  I can't believe someone would fault her for selling
items and raffling things to raise money for the shelter that way, or
would criticize her for spending money on shipping!  Those of us that buy
things from her pay the shipping costs as they arise just as with any
item you'd purchase.  So she shouldn't sell things or raffle things
because it's not free to ship them?  How else should she raise money?
What's wrong with fundraising?  From what was said, it sounds like
someone thinks it's maybe okay to ask for donations (but not really), but
not to provide anything in return.  I see it as a way of trying to raise
money without just asking for handouts (not that _I_ mind shelters asking
for just "handouts".)
 
As far as having money saved up for emergencies & running a shelter, you
do the best you can, but it's certainly not just Kim asking for financial
or supply help on this list-I don't know too many shelter folks who
haven't ever had to ask for help or who wouldn't be glad to have it.
What an odd thing to criticize a nonprofit organization for.  Do you call
up the battered women's shelter when they do a Christmas fund drive and
criticize them for not operating from their nest egg???
 
Kim Fox is a very caring person who does what she can with what she has
and I see nothing wrong with her asking for help, selling items to raise
money or having raffles.  I also help rescue animals, though not to the
degree a shelter op does, and I have needed help myself in the past-
anyone remember Sparkle?-because a needy animal came into my life at
a time when I had just shelled out over $2000 for one of my other
animals, & Sparkle came through desperately needing help at that time.
She couldn't wait for me to get my next paycheck, or win the lottery or
get a fourth job to pay for her care.  So I turned to the FML and people
like Ada & Kerry Gibbs, Joanna Deemys, Mena, Kris, Sharon & others helped
when Sparkle needed it (I know I am leaving off names-I have them all at
home to remind me of your generosity).  And I am a person that has a good
job (well, three at last count), a husband with a good job, & am very
fortunate.
 
But it was an unexpected emergency, & even though I budget for my
ferrets' care, have pet insurance for them (though even if you have that,
most vets still require you to pay up front & you have to get reimbursed
by the insurance) & keep emergency money set aside, an immediately
previous emergency depleted those funds.  I had just spent a lot of
money on one of my own sickies, two of our cars died in one week, my
sister-in-law ended up in the hospital, & I had already spent money
paying for stuff for my upcoming (at that time) wedding, & all this in 1
month.
 
So how many emergencies are you suggesting I be prepared for?  Or should
I not take care of even one ferret because that string of possibilities
might happen?  I agree that you shouldn't get a pet if you can't afford
to take care of it, but even the best prepared of us can have strings of
events like I had that require us to ask for a little help here and
there, & this is even more true of folks running shelters.  Kim has had a
terrible streak of luck lately, but should she dump her shelter ferrets
on the street, or should she ask for help?  She's asking for help, not
neglecting the animals.
 
And as someone working for a vet that DOES often work things out to try
and help clients who don't have the money still get the care they need
(and we are not a clinic rolling in dough, & that's partly why), I can
tell you that we still can only extend so much credit, we can only
provide so much free care, & sometimes clients get to the point where
they need more help than we can give, even some of our shelter operator
clients, & they have to turn to groups similar to the FML, & fundraise
and ask for donations; I see nothing wrong with it.  One of my vets just
sold fruit as a fundraiser for her orchestra, even, & no one's health
depended on that!
 
-April  AC
 
[P.S.] and one more thing...
 
>... a shelter should expect high vet bills and the associated costs for
>sheltering ...a plan (other than asking on a regular basis) should be in
>place for when that happens.  I have a friend that has credit card for
>her shelter.  She also has a plan with her vet for allowing her to make
>payments if the need arises so that the ferret isn't waiting for her to
>have $$ to be treated.
>
>The biggest point that I was trying to make is that a shelter must plan
>ahead for disaster....
 
A few final thoughts from me on this: And what do you do when you get
laid off, lose your job, and your formerly nice budget plan goes to hell?
Maybe Kim did all those things your friend does, except the credit card
(which I don't think should be relied on too much as a "plan", since you
do still have to pay for that), only she lost her job among other things
and now she has to find another way?  How much disaster can you actually
plan for, even as a shelter op expecting disaster?  Prior to a big vet
bill from sick animals, money was going for vaccinations and routine
care.  What Kim did with the very sick ferrets was get them treated.
FYI, Kim already had a big vet bill she is making payments on, and she
has something "worked out with her vet" that way, but there were already
very sick ferrets that needed help and she GOT IT FOR THEM, so now she
needs a little help with something that would normally be considered a
routine expense.  What is the difference?  So if she'd posted that she
needed help with a surgery instead., that would be okay?  It's semantics.
Fine, she needs helping paying down the surgery vet bill, then.  Does it
matter if she says she can put her vet bill money towards the ADV test,
but needs money for the surgery bill?  Would that help?  I would bet a
lot of shelters border on bankruptcy-it's often the nature of the beast
unless you are among the few that finds it easy to turn an animal away
when there are no other options for it.  The vet bill has gotten to the
point where it needs to be paid so that the next sick animal can be
treated when the time comes.  So she asked for help with what would
normally be a routine expense so she could concentrate money on the
current vet bill from her end.
 
Sorry, I'm just frustrated by the insinuation that Kim did something
wrong here.  Sucks to lose your job, but that's not always your own
fault.  And I'd rather folks in her situation asked for help than
silently let the animals go without what they need.
 
-April, who lost a job two years ago when her company went out of
business, but is still not a bad person. ;)
 
"There's nary an animal alive that can outrun a greased Scotsman."
-Groundskeeper Willy, "The Simpsons"
[Posted in FML issue 3992]