Have any of you looked up "twit" in the dictionary? A twit is someone
stupid or foolish. Anyone putting even ONE of these precious lives at
risk is both stupid & foolish. ESPECIALLY a shelter. We are supposed
to know better.

People call shelters/sanctuaries all the TIME for advice. They are
looking for answers, and they look to us, the experts, for help. So,
if a trip to the vet is "money wasted," a ferret with green, smelly,
slimy diarrhea would die a painful and horrible death, because it
didn't get medical attention. After all, the shelter operator is the
expert -- and he/she said don`t bother with a vet -- right??? (What
shelter person wouldn`t know about ECE? ) Now, not only one ferret
dies, but any other ferret in that house is also put at risk.

OOPS--Did I mention that the new shelter/sanctuary operator might ALSO
not understand the importance of putting new babies in quarantine???

Or maybe a little one is rapidly losing weight, & refuses to eat. it
appears to be in horrific pain, & is lethargic. Gee--a trip to the vet
is "money wasted" --so it just must be that ferret`s time, RIGHT??? So
the stupid, foolish new shelter mom holds & rocks the ferret, in its
blanky (chewed full of holes) until it dies of intestinal blockage,
which could have been cured with a 20 minute surgery...

The new shelter/sanctuary mom gets lots of sympathy on Facebook, every
time she loses one. People say "Oh, my heart is breaking for you. You
are such a good ferret mom. There`s a place in Heaven for you" I`m sick
of it. The innocent are dying, and the ones at fault get sympathy??? (I
un-joined Facebook after someone said she couldn`t afford vet care for
an adrenal ferret, but posted the next day, looking for a couple more
ferrets to join him & his sister! I was appalled. The profanity police
would have been after me, had I stayed LOL)

If you run a good shelter/sanctuary, you will find, and use, the best
ferret vet in your area--and you will learn everything you CAN about
these wonderful, but very different creatures. Your babies will be
counting on you. You will sacrifice much-- money, time, beauty sleep, &
some family & friends who don`t understand your mission.("You're
cancelling our lunch date because your FERRET is sick????") At times,
the stress will nearly kill you -- but that will be what you signed
on for. You will need to be totally devoted. Look hard before you
leap -- because your life will never be the same.

and if you believe a trip to the vet is "money wasted" or you refuse
to learn--that is both stupid & foolish. You will not be saving lives,
you will be endangering them. You will be a twit.

Off my soapbox.

Love, Zoo

[Posted in FML 8158]