Terri wrote:
>I guess I just need some clarifications on this.  So many things wrong?
>Flea infested, dehydration, respiratory problems?  I guess I'm just
>wondering why these ferrets were transported that far with these
>problems before being assessed & stabilized first.
 
You wondered about the ferrets who went to the shelter with medical
problems.
 
Part of it is that the at location shelters were still setting up at
that time.
 
Part of it is that they are mostly going to look for major problems and
trust the later shelters to be able to handle the same sorts of things
that are encountered regularly in the every day life of a shelter.
 
Part of it was that at first vets for exotics were not known about and
in place at first.  Now, even when they aren't enough are known about to
at least be called for advice.  You see, they are not yet a tested for
specialization (unlike birds) so there is not a master database the major
rescue groups could call upon.  (Yes, that is another thing some vets
want to change in the future and are working on.) Let's face it ferret
people like those of us here know to NOT think "just a cold" with a
ferret who has a respiratory infection, but your typical vet who has not
studied exotics does not know that.
 
The IFC took care of that problem by work that was almost around the
clock (very little sleep) over several days to put together the needed
vet lists going from a range of sources for the most critical states,
and there is currently a WONDERFUL team of volunteers going through all
of the resources and working to put together such master lists for other
states.  It's a chore -- no two vet lists use the same format, or have
the same content, or in some cases even have some of the data.  The
hope is to have a list that is accurate enough and inclusive enough that
if emergencies happen in any state it can be used.  Not all the phone
numbers will work, and that is not surprise, but as long as enough do
the mission is accomplished.
 
I hope to not lose my computer access but I am having some trouble with
my computer that I always use.  Steve is doing maintenance on and off
till we find what is wrong, I am doing clean-up on it, and I am doing
clean-up and prepping the cube computer in the ferret room that has gone
unused for more than a year (because until my feet and ankles recovered
enough I could not get over the barrier) to then receive my updated
info -- which is why I had to have a portable in the first place.  (BTW,
asthma season can keep me off-line some days or parts of days, too.)  So,
expect me to pop in and out.
 
Meanwhile, it is always good for shelters -- even when they are not
getting in disaster rescues -- to understand their cleaning and isolation
procedures (a reasonable topic for conversation with constructive advice,
esp. by experts) and to always have vet visits as the first thing to do.
 
-- Sukie (not a vet)
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[Posted in FML issue 4996]