I saw this on the Acme (Petsmart) message board and I suggested the person
post it here, but her access to a computer is limited right now so she
asked me to cut and paste it.  Here it is: Posted by Kristine on July 07,
2001 at 14:01:35:
 
A women called earlier this morning and talked to my husband.  She needed
help for a very sick ferret and he sent her to my vet.
 
Well...as it turns out, my vet calls me and we discuss the situation.
 
The ferret is roughly 4 years old and she got him at about a year from a
shelter in Salt Lake City.
 
Ed, the ferret, has a lot of problems.  He has a large tumor under his
front arm.  She brought him into a vet in Utah awhile back and he said
they were nothing and not to worry.  Well, she removed it herself with a
pizza string (???).  It grew back rapidly.
 
I talked to Angel and dr.  Deb and what we can see now is...a large lumpy
tumor can be felt in his abdomen.  Plus the big one (which my vet said
looks very ugly) under his arm pit.
 
He is coughing with a harsh liquid sound.  Owner said liquid is actually
coming up and he is swallowing it back down.
 
Slight rear leg weakness.
 
These owners have NO money.  As many of you know, my vet has only owned
her own clinic from the beginning of this year and is in about the same
finacial situation as me.  So what she did do...is exam him, and did a
urine test.  Urine test had no extra white blood cells or glucose in it.
 
For the mean time she sent them home just now with amoxy and pediapred.
(hoping that might help a bit)
 
I talked to Ed's owner, Angel and she is just devastated.  She moved to
Burns (a small town about 4 hours from here) doing some kind of missionary
work with her father.  She was 7 months pregnant.  2 weeks ago soomething
went horribly wrong and they airlifted her to the hospital here in Bend.
A local nurse was good enough to care for the ferret while she was in the
hospital.  During this time Ed got sicker and in the end Angel lost her
child.  She is desparate to find help for her ferret..she is not willing
to give him up to the shelter and she wants him to survive.  She's willing
to give what money she has to his care...but unfortunetly she really has
none.  She says she will make payments though.
 
Me and my Vet are pleaing for any finacial help that anyone can give to
this woomen and her ferret.  At the very least we'd like to see a full
blood panel run (the expense here is some needs to be sent to a lab) and
at least one x- ray to look at his heart, lungs and abdomen.  Surgery
very well may not be an option, but at least being able to give the right
medicines would be a Godsent right now.
 
Anyone who can give anything...even 5 bucks...please either send it or
call in a donation to:
 
LaPaw Animal Hospital, PC
1288 SW Simpson Ave. G, H
Bend, OR 97702
 
541-389-3902
 
Dr. Lapaughs email is [log in to unmask]  She says to please call, email
if you have questions too.
[Posted in FML issue 3473]