Hi guys.  Finally, here is a start on the list of our fuzzies and info for
anyone who would like to sponsor a "shelter kid".
 
** Rikki & Emily ** Rikki is a light sable female, now approximately 4 years
old and was turned over to the shelter with her "sister" (not really
related) Emily in April of '95 and it was obvious at that time that she had
an adrenal tumor.  She went in for surgery a.s.a.p.  and it took some time
for her hair to come back and for her to gain weight needed so I could say
that she was officially well, so she could be adopted out.  Time passed with
no requests for 2 females, I will not separate the two of them, and recently
she began exhibiting signs again of an adrenal tumor.  This time I was
really scared.  She went to the vet and an ultrasound was performed prior to
surgery.  Upon reviewing the results of this test, the vet now says surgery
is not an option as the tumor has taken in part of her right kidney and
liver.  Rikki has been put on Lysodren to try to inhibit the growth of the
tumor, and buy her a little time.  The vet says that, at best, she may have
only 4 to 5 months to live.  I could not possibly consider adopting her out
with so little time remaining.  It is important to avoid stress in her life
and going to a new and unfamiliar home, even a good one, would certainly be
stresfull for her.  She will spend her remaining time here with me and Emily
and the other ferrets she has become friends with (personal ferrets of my
own).  She is a sweetie, so tiny, not even two pounds, and now she really
looks pittiful because they shaved her belly to do the ultrasound.  She
loves Pounce treats and viciously "guards and protects" her pacifier, even
from Emily.
 
Our vet works with the shelter as much as possible on expenses, so her total
bill this last trip was only about $100.  (Ultrasound tests alone run
$140.00 normally.) Lysodren is very expensive and has to be acquired through
a 'compounding pharmacist' to get it down to the appropriate dosage for a
ferret, and get it into a liquid, palatable form.  (One tablet, after the
compounding costs $24.00, but it does last for quite a while.) She may need
frequent trips to her vet in the future, we do not know yet.  For now she
seems happy and contented and gets "lots" of extra attention and special
treatment.
 
This condition is likely the result of misdiagnosis of the original adrenal
tumor by the previous owner's vet.  Rikki had classic symptoms of an adrenal
tumor, but her vet said she had "allergies" and told her owner not to worry.
Because it was left untreated, the tumor spread into the surrounding tissues
and "fingers" of it could not be seen or be removed at the time I had the
adrenal surgery done.  This 'misdiagnosis' has cost little Rikki dearly.
Let me urge you to only take your fuzzy children to vets who *know ferrets*,
not just cats, dogs, etc..  Get a referral from Pam Grant's list or a ferret
shelter or club in your area.
 
** Emily ** Emily came in at the same time as little Rikki.  Emily is a
light sable female, very sweet, and she now gives me kisses.  Emily is about
6 months younger than Rikki.  It took Emily an exceptionally long time to
adjust to her new home here and I feel so sad that she will likely lose her
"sister" in the near future.  I have integrated both of them with some of my
girls so that when we lose Rikki, Emily will have other friends to help her
through and to minimize her grief.  So far, Emily has been very healthy and
we have only been out expenses for her food and shots that they were behind
on when they arrived.  Both have been through "the greenies" and came
through fine.  (Remarkable considering Rikki's condition that we were
unaware of then.)
 
I am torn over what to do about Emily.  She has always been with Rikki, so
when Rikki goes ( I don't mean to sound cold, I love Rikki dearly, but I
have the future, and others to consider, also) I don't know if I can pair
her successfully with another female, maybe Topanga, when she recovers, I am
not sure.  My greatest concern is that Emily had such a hard time accepting
me and settling in here, that I am afraid to let her go out because she may
not adjust there very well either.  These little ones are so sensitive.  She
has fallen in love with me, so now what do I do?  Should she become a
'permanent shelter resident'?  Is that fair to others?  How can I provide
for her?  Any thoughts guys?  Please give me your input on this one.
 
** Boomer ** Boomer is a red-eyed white that arrived about three months ago.
He is 4 years old and was on very cheap catfood, or worse, all of his life.
He was very bony upon his arrival and his coat was rough and thin.  He has a
'dainty' little face and weighed under a pound and a half, and I checked
several times to make sure he wasn't a girl.  I immediately put him on
Totally Ferret and over the next few weeks he improved dramatically.  Then I
noticed a "wobble" to his walk.  I had his glucose tested and it was 61
NON-FASTING!  Fasting it was around 50.  The vet and I freaked.  Surgery
became a posibility for him, as it seemed almost certain he had Insulinoma.
We also sent off for an Insulin test to be done, and it came back "normal",
wow, now what?
 
The vet says okay, yes, he has hypoglycemia (low-blood sugar), but
definitely NOT Insulinoma.  Therefore, he should lead a normal life if this
is closely monitored.  What wonderful news!!  Boomer is a very sweet little
guy, he gives kisses and dooks around constantly.  He loves his ears
scratched and loves tubes and paper sacks.  He is up to about two pounds
now.  He will need to be tested on a regular basis in case he is in the
beginning stages of Insulinoma.  He has always been by himself and truly
does not know what to do with another ferret.  He gets real aggressive with
them, I am not sure if he is trying to play or if he is scared to death otf
them and he is attacking them in defense (though they do nothing to provoke
him).  I have tried many different ferrets with him and the results are
always the same.
 
** New Arrivals ** Oscar and Compton were picked up last evening, thanks to
a wonderful shelter foster mom, Erika Matulich.  They are currently residing
with her because they are older, and we have had "the greenies" here and do
not want to jeopardize them in any way.  They are both black-eyed whites,
and very, very sweet and loving.  They are almost 1 year behind in their
shots and their teeth desperately need cleaning.  Both were fed Iams adult
catfood, so that is a plus, but their nails were extremely long and Erika
said their cage was awful and they desperately needed a bath, so she bathed
them last night and placed them in a cozy room of their own with a soft bed
(ie: large closet with stacks of towels for them to rummage through at will,
she wouldn't dream of "spoiling" them, you know).  I haven't seen them yet,
so I hope the following info pertains to the appropriate ferret.
 
** Oscar ** is about 6 years old.  He has extensive hairloss indicating an
adrenal tumor.  He has small bumps over his back, and he has a vet
appointment set for Friday.  I imagine surgery is in his near future,
depending on the ultrasound test results.
 
** Compton ** is about 5 years old, though Erika says he is pretty active
for a 5 year old.  He has some sort of rash on his face, some sort of ear
problem, and his coat indicates a strong possible adrenal tumor also.  He
goes to the vet on Friday with Oscar.  Oh boy, another ultrasound ($$$$),
and probable surgery ($$$$).
 
I will be taking both in to Dr. Kendrick on Friday and will post the
findings when I know more.  Cocoa and Duchess are going in as well, but I am
running out of space today, I will post their profiles tomorrow.  Festus is
going to see another of our excellent ferret vets, Dr. Jarrett, on
Thursday, also.  I will try to post these three profiles tomorrow to the
FML, and if there is room, I will do Topanga's profile, also.
[Posted in FML issue 1536]