Where do I begin.
 
I have put this off for weeks now because I feel once I get started, I
will turn this into a novel.  However it turns out, I absolutely must
say what's on my mind.  In getting right to the point, this involves
Washington Ferret Rescue and Shelter and Cathy Johnson-Delaney.  I had
been fostering for them for about a year and then became heavily involved
with the core volunteers and other board members during the summer.  I
have had as many as 22 fosters at one time with daily contact with at
least one core volunteer or board member.  When I say "core" volunteers,
I refer mostly to those with medical knowledge who help the foster
parents as well as those involved with recruiting volunteers/foster
homes.  And there are only a small few.  I officially left the shelter
early November.  The main reason for posting this information is to reach
some/all of the foster homes and to hopefully save some of the WFRS
ferrets.  I also hope that others may benefit from my experience.
 
Cathy Johnson-Delaney is a research vet and is employed by the UW
Regional Primate Research Center.  The key word here is RESEARCH and the
mind of a research vet and one of animal healing contradict each other.
She is mentioned on the WFRS website for her Lupron study along with
Michelle Hawkins from UC Davis.  Cathy also mentions a Lupron study and
her affiliation with Jack W Oliver from the University of Tennessee in
Ferrets Magazine back in 1999.  To date, I have not been able to obtain
the results of these adrenal/Lupron studies.  Cathy obviously approves
of animal experimentation which is also demonstrated in her WFRS email
applauding Madigan Army Hospital and the UW for their use of ferrets to
teach doctors, nurses, etc how to insert emergency tracheal tubes.
 
I think my opinion of animal experimentation is obvious.  Your opinion
may differ.  However, I do not and have never disputed Cathy's vast
veterinary medical knowledge but I do not believe that the WFRS ferrets
welfare are a priority although to her credit, she has successfully
treated many of them.  I also believe she uses her position as a WFRS
Board member and shelter vet to further her study - at the ferrets
expense.  She also has a "surgery suite" set up at the shelter yet her
surgery schedule appears to mostly accommodate her study ferrets with
a few shelter ferret checkups thrown in - time permitting.  So there is
no confusion, the WFRS ferrets are not "officially" part of the study
although they are and have been receiving Lupron therapy for their
adrenal disease.  In addition, Lupron is viewed as such an accepted and
only treatment for adrenal disease at WFRS that the volunteers/Board
members automatically start all ferrets on Lupron therapy (after they
have concluded themselves, that they have adrenal disease) without a
second thought and sometimes, without Cathy's knowledge.
 
My observation and personal experience at the shelter tells me that Cathy
somehow has influenced the "core" volunteers at WFRS who believe she is
the only vet capable enough to treat ferrets.  I am embarrassed to admit
that I bought into this belief in the beginning based on what I had been
told.  After the summer chaos ended and I subsequently attended one of
the Board meetings, I began to understand what was really happening.
These volunteers are misguided, misinformed and unfortunately, passing
this belief onto other volunteers and foster homes.  In fact, the cost of
Lupron undoubtedly contributes to the shelter debt especially when Cathy
uses Lupron as her only treatment for adrenal disease.  Unless there is
change and a way to raise additional funds, this shelter is not going to
survive as it can barely meet their overhead expenses.  This was not only
acknowledged at the Board meeting I attended, but alternate emergency
space was discussed.  There are scores of ferrets currently in foster
care who are on Lupron.  Young or old, if they show signs of adrenal,
they begin Lupron therapy.  Sometimes - and that is part of the problem.
The shelter can't seem to raise enough funds to purchase Lupron on a
regular basis.  Sometimes they can afford it and sometimes they can't.
So then, sometimes the ferrets get treatment and sometimes they don't.
Another factor contributing to the downfall of the shelter is a volunteer
with such deep compassion and love for each ferret that comes through the
shelter that she is unable to be objective about adoptions.  She wants to
save them all and, I believe, prefers to keep them in the "system" where
she can watch over them.  In an ideal world, maybe but by the end of
summer and "dumping season" we were all exhausted.  Her position at the
shelter allows her to make her own decisions about which ones to adopt
out and which ones to keep, unbeknownst to the Board members.  Because
it's an all volunteer run shelter with most everyone working and little
spare time, there is no process and no guidelines to follow.  Most are
made up as the situation warrants and there is no enforcement.  I
actually received a notification (as did the other volunteers) from
one of the Board members about a new shelter policy and within minutes,
I received a private email from a volunteer who stated that this new
policy would not be followed.
 
continued in part 2
[Posted in FML issue 4379]