Just wanted to tell the story of Max, the little boy that turned out to be
a little girl....
 
Got a phone call for a ferret turn-in from a lady who couldnt afford the
surgery - the ferret was losing "his" hair and had a "growth" on her
abdomen (that was the 3yr old).  The 7yr old had insulinoma and was on
medication.  I offered to do the surgery and release the ferret back on a
payment program, but no go.  She said they didnt get along, they were
expensive, they stunk, blah blah blah.  Max, the 3 yr old was the tiniest
male I had ever seen, and then I turn "him" over - his vulva (Yup, its a
girl!) was the size of my thumbnail!  Asked about shots got a blank look -
"Shots?  they need shots?" okee dokee.....Asked about food and she said
"Oh, well whatevers on sale at the grocery store, but they really like
Chefs blend....." Oh boy.  The ferrets lived in a small hamster cage, with
no litterbox - just paper.
 
Take them both to the vet - the 7yr old seems fine - Blood glucose came
back at 90 - and other than his advanced age, seemed healthy.  Max's growth
is some kind of abcess that was filled with clear fluid and drained.  We
knew it would most likely come back, and it did.  It will be removed with
the adrenal surgery, scheduled for Feb 1.  Her weight came in at a whopping
547g (or 1lb 3oz) and she endeared herself to us immediately by escaping
from all of our cages!  She blithely wriggled out of the openings!
Luckily, I have a 2-story cage, similar to a midwest design, with 1"square
wire - and she cant get out of that!
 
But Miss Maxie, is a love - timed her kissing marathons at over 10 minutes
at a time - she loves to sleep with people and will curl up next to your
feet - It is rather unnerving though to be wakened by a ferret grooming
your feet!  :) And a well-mannered fert - she gets down off of the bed,
uses the litterbox and comes back up.
 
So keep this little lady in your thoughts on Monday for a successful
surgery and recovery and hope to find her a new home....
 
Lisa, Head Ferret
The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea"
URL: http://www.kozykingdom.com/ferrethaven
Want to help The Ferret Haven By-the-Sea? Register at iGive.com
by cutting and pasting this link:
http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?CID=1236&MID=854
 
Mis Maxie will be available for adoption soon, after her adrenal surgery
(successful we hope!) and once her hair starts in. She looks to be a sable
with a mottled nose and just a sweetie.
[Posted in FML issue 2572]