Hello all,
 
First I would like to extend sympathy to all who have lost their precious
little ones in the past month, and I would like to thank all that wrote to
me on Finny's behalf and on Gus's arrival.  This is most difficult, but the
millenium just isn't cooperating with me very well.  I've spent a week in
the hospital for typhoid fever!!, cmae home and both of my rats were very
sick, then noticed Gus had an episode of bloody urine.  Took him to the
vet's the next day, got an x-ray, and...a bladder stone.  This was Sat.
Scheduled for surgery on Wed., but, he never made it.  Monday morning,
after an uneventful, playful evening Sunday night, I found him dead,
curled up in his usual sleep spot.  I still, can't believe it.  Today, the
coroner's report came back, my little baby had liver cancer!  FIVE MONTHS
old....just a baby, and he's gone....four of those months spent at a
stinking pet store....
 
I vaccilate between sadness, confusion, but mostly...anger.  Why does a
company continue to breed a line of cancer-ridden ferrets?  Why do I see so
many suffer day in, day out at my job for the sake of a buck?  I don't know
what can be done, but I've got the feeling that if somehow, we could get
the large pet-store chains like Petco, Petsmart, etc.  to stop carrying
ferrets, it would put a big dent in the profit sales of the ferret mills.
I've never had a desire to "get political" so I have no idea about how to
go about this....but these chains do NOT sell dogs or cats, for a GOOD
reason...heck, did you know that they don't even sell RABBITS for the same
reason.  I would like to start a petition, at this time I have no printer
so it would be fruitless to send in signatures yet....but if we could get
the stores to open their eyes to this "mill effect", I'm sure they would
listen, like they did with dogs, cats, and even rabbits...(ps...I love
rabbits too...so no flaming).
 
I am so sorry that little Gus-gus is gone, what a fat, sweet baby he was...
deaf, blazed, hx of resp.  infections...bladder stone, and gee...CANCER.
Wouldn't you be angry too?  It's time for all of us, all of us who love
our ferrets much more than just as a "fad exotic pet" but as valued family
members....to pull together and shut these mills down.  It happened in
the eighties with dogs and cats....it can happen with our kids too.  Any
suggestions on a direction to go with this would be GREATLY appreciated.
This time, let's not make this topic a flamefest.
 
Gus-gus....you didn't die in vain.  I promise to make a dent, somehow, so
that more babies don't have to die needlessly for the sake of turning out
a high end quota.
 
Michele
With Figgy, Colin, Whitney, Murphy, Ralph, Nick and Sarah.....always
worrying about you all...who's losing fur, who's maybe got a low blood
sugar, maybe a lump on the neck?  WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS!
 
Missing Finnegan and Gus-gus.....take care of him for me Finny.....
[Posted in FML issue 2957]