It was one of those 'once in a lifetime' bargains!  Just too good to pass
up!  All that terrific cage wire, heavy gauge too, and for practically
nothing.  The wire company was going out of business and was selling off the
production rolls at a public auction, and you bid a few bucks and got a
whole roll of the perfect size and gauge wire to make the ferret cage of all
ferret cages.  Granted it was pretty rough, hadn't been through the
deburring machine yet, but you scrubbed and scrubbed to be sure all the
chemical residue was totally removed.  And then you painted it three coats
with the pool decking paint that was thick and non-toxic so all the rough
and kinda sharp places were thoroughly covered and smooth as glass.  Then
did a fourth coat just to be sure.
 
And Boy what a cage you made..  with four stories and tunnels and enclosed
boxes for hidey holes and snooze spots..  and open platforms for lots of
litter boxes..  and places for hammocks and toys and eats and water
bottles.... and lots and lots of ramps to run up and down and even a little
spiral one just for fun.  The fuzzys loved it!  In a year you had six of the
little sweethearts and when you had to be gone they had the 'Ferret
Fantastic' to keep them happy and content.
 
It was a snap to clean, just wheel it outside [it was on industrial rollers
and fit, just barely, thru the patio double doors] and turn on the hot water
hose and grab the car washing brush and the metal parts cleaning brush and
fifteen minutes of scrubbing and it was spotless.
 
Then you got that new territory at work and started working all that
overtime, and met your future wife and that gobbled up most all your little
bit of spare time, and except for short stops to pet a few minutes and pass
out treats and clean the wonderful cage you didn't spend a lot of time with
the ferrets for several months.
 
You just didn't notice... it was just such a busy time... it didn't occur to
you... until it was far far too late... that the paint had worn or been
scrubbed away from nearly all the ramps and platforms and tubes and boxes.
It was during the long Christmas break when you finally had a couple weeks
to just relax at home and catch your breath, that you realised your little
fur family wasn't running or playing or doing anything at all.
 
They were all piled into one sleeping box on one medium blanket... and in
spite of keeping the cage spotless something smelled awful.  You wheeled the
cage out onto the patio and got set to clean it and when you reached in to
take the little ones out you discovered they were dreadfully thin and their
fur was matted with some stomic turning gunk.  They were burning with fever
and limp as rags.  So you grabbed a big towel and put them all on it and
took them inside to give them baths and try to figure out what on earth they
had gotten into.  Only ten seconds into the first ones bath she started to
struggle frantically and scream..  a horrible pain filled crying that tore
your heart and scared you half to death.  So you pulled her quick out of the
warm soapy water and wrapped her in a towel and just sat there holding her
and trying to dry her off while she cried and struggled harder.  Finally she
was dry enough to put her down in the warm bathroom on the soft rug to
finish drying in the fluffy towel like always, but when you set her down she
couldn't stand up and just lay there panting and making little hurting
noises.
 
That's when you saw her little feet.  From the ankles down her feet were a
mass of cuts and punctures... all of them were deeply infected.  Nails were
gone on some toes, and bone showed in places.  One look at the others feet
told you what the smell and gunk in their fur was.  Everyone of them was the
same or worse!
 
Since ferrets were illegal you had only had them to a vet at a Saturday
morning shot clinic in another county once a year for shots and didn't know
of any vet that treated ferrets much less knew anything about them.  You
called several and were bluntly told that ferrets were illegal to own and
the vets didn't treat them and didn't know who did.  So out of desperation
you called a buddy who knew some lady who knew a lot about animals and
begged and pleaded till you got the pager number and code to reach her.
 
That's when my pager went off... I found myself talking to a half coherent
young man with six fuzzys that were in pretty desperate shape from the sound
of it.  I told him I would meet him and would take them and would do my
best... Fifteen minutes later I was receiving a box of dying fur kids in
various stages of severe blood poisoning.
 
One little girl died four hours later in my arms.  I had deadened her legs
and cleaned her fur and wounds and bandaged her feet.  But the infection was
so massive you could see the streaks up her legs and no amount of hydration,
antibiotics and support could even slow down the wave of poison engulfing
her body.  She was free of pain and at peace when she crossed over but it
hurt terribly to lose her.  Two others were so close it was scary.  Both
fought very hard for three days before they started to improve.  The other
three were a little less involved and in hours had begun to fight and beat
the infections.  All of them are improving and gaining weight and beginning
to eat a little on their own now..  Some have lost toes and parts of feet,
others have just lost nails and toes.  None of them will ever run or climb
normally again.
 
But like all members of their bred they are full if the joy of life and
rapidly creating fuzzy chaos right along with Mittsy, the adrenal girls, and
my fuzzy family.  They are going through two whole 1 oz. tubes of neosporin
plus daily and loads of bandages and must be syringe fed at least three times
a day but they are going to live to dance and dook for a very long time!
 
They still stop... all of them... all at once... and look and look for the
sister no longer with them..  they miss her so... and somehow for a minute
they are so very sad..  but then they take a little nap and wake to good
cheer and fuzzy fun again.
 
What a very High Price that Fantastic Bargain finally cost one young man and
six fur children!
 
dayna
 
to all of you I have so neglected over these last weeks..  I apologise for
just fading away like that... and you have my promise I will catch up on all
the back mail and late Christmas cards and everything... just as soon as
this broken wrist of mine heals a little and the little ones demand a bit
less of my time each day..  until then please forgive my neglect of you and
be patient just a little longer..  I have missed you all and value you more
than you know... gentle hug dayna
 
Please correct your address book for all non compuserve related mail so it
goes to my internet mailbox at woozles@ecom.net...thank you..
 
If you want to see my critters.. stop by my web page at  ....
http://geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/2322
 
 "Resident of... Marvelous Menagerie Of Mirthful Mayhem"
 Dayna Frazier  102046,3162  11-Jan-1997  01:42:54 PST
[Posted in FML issue 1812]