Hi All, (I meant to send this back a few days ago but things happened and so
I couldn't)
 
I have a lot to update on but have to try to keep it as short as I can.  I
have had a few very strange medical problems occur over the last week and
now have to have some blood tests and an ultrasound done to try and figure
it out.  Anyway the main problem is that my hands got very swollen and
painful for no reason in my sleep.  They felt as tho I had slept on them
wrong and they too had fallen asleep for a very, very long time only then
they did not wake up again for 3 1/2 days.  The left is pretty good now but
the right is still more swollen and painful and so typing is not the easiest
thing to do right now.  I apologise to all who have written me e-mail that I
have been unable to answer yet due to this unexpected occurence.  I am also
sorry to not have written all of you with an update sooner but things have
been really hopping around here yet again.
 
(added on 9/11) As of Wednesday my medical problems have worsened a great
deal and I plan to contact the Doc tomoorow and get the results of my tests.
I got copies but from what I can tell the ultrasound showed nothing and the
blood tests I cannot tell anything about.  My Mom is here and typing the
rest of this for me so to be able to get it out to all of you.
 
First I must tell you all that the nite of the 6th I got a call from a city
about 20 minutes out of Boise and they said they had a critter trapped under
their home for a week by their big outdoor dogs.  They had thought it was a
ferret and so not wanting it to be killed by their dogs and such they
brought it food and water each day under the house.  Seemed quite tame tho
it never actually came closer than 2 or 3 feet from them.  Long story short
they got a live trap from F&G and caught it last nite.  I asked for a
description and got back, absolutely jet black and very pretty.  My heart
skipped a beat and I asked if there was any different colored undercoat
besides black and she said no.  I said to her, well you absolutely do not
have a ferret there ma'am you have yourself a little black mink!!  So then
she told me she had wondered if maybe it was a weasel as her son had said it
was no ferret too.  I assured her I knew of no wild weasels roaming around
this area of the state and had never heard of any either.  Then I mentioned
the mink scream and she knew it well so I assured her again she had a black
mink.  She had spoken to an animal's in distress woman in her city that I do
not know and had been unhappy with her as she only said she would go let it
loose in the game preserve but never said if she would make sure it was wild
and not tame first.  I told her about the lady I had worked with over the
last mink I had and guaranteed her that neither I or the lady Toni would
ever release the mink unless we were positive it was wild enought o survive
in the wild.
 
They brought it to me and I was rather unhappy in the end.  I fear this
little one may be partly tame just like Sheena's was.  He did not let out an
ear piercing scream ever only a whispered imitation of one.  Also I noticed
looking in the cage that this little one's nails had been trimmed shorter
than I usually trim the Fang Gang's.  There is no explanation for that other
than that a human being trimmed them.  They looked to be a straight clean
cut across the nail and not anything like they would be from actual digging
and I can't believe the nails would ever get that short from doing what they
do naturally, digging.  Minksy as I called him/her was easily transferred
from the tiny carrier they had borrowed into a larger one of mine.  I was
expecting a family of four to visit the shelter soon and hopefully find a
pair of fuzzbutts they would fall in love with so I could do nothing with
Minksy at that moment.  I had already called Toni after I found out about
the mink coming to me and so she was prepared for me to bring Minksy to her
at my convenience.  I asked her how late was too late to bring him/her down
and told her about the visitors and I guess she must be just like me as she
said NO TIME is too late!!!<GGG>
 
(added 9/11) I took it to her about midnite that nite and we let it out in a
bathroom to see how it would act.  It ran around the room scared and when it
came across Toni's sandled feet it only smelled her foot and did not try to
bite it.  I tried to touch it with leather gloved hands and maybe pick it up
but it was having none of that.  So it is not so tame possibly that it
cannot be taught to survive in the wild.  Toni cannot do live feedings as it
is too upsetting for her but she has friends that can bring her live
crayfish and give them to the mink.  Then Toni can check later as to whether
it killed and ate them or not.  I will call her tonite and check on Minksy.
 
(Why do I get the feeling this post is NOT going to be short after
all??:-)<GGG>)
 
My shelter visitors came and met everyone, even the kids not available yet
and that wouldn't be for some time due to surgeries scheduled to be done
today and Monday.  The only babies available soon were Betty & Veronica as a
pair and Sweetheart & Kitzka as a pair since I had paired them up after
picking them up from the Shelters and they had gotten along beautifully all
the way home in the same cage and ever since.  I much prefer to adopt out
the kids in pairs than singles if at all possible so they have another fert
to be with and so they do not become scared and hateful of other ferrets
from being alone too long.  I had told my Mom day before yesterday when they
made the appointment that I knew I was going to have to prepare to say
goodbye to Sweetheart and Kitzka terribly soon.  Don't ask me why but I
hadn't even met these people and I already knew beforehand who they would
fall in love with right away.  The kids will actually be the oldest
daughter's and I believe she is 14 but looked more like 16.  She was calm
and mature and very nice, but best of all she was extremely gentle with the
babies and fell hard for Kitzka the moment she held her.  Eventually Kitzka
fell asleep in her arms as she held her and I knew they were going to bond
real strong and fast.  Since I guesstimate that Kitzka is no more than 6
months and could very well be as young as 4 months that didn't surprise me
at all.  On the other hand Sweetheart curled up her tiny white body in the
girl's Mom's arms and she fell hard and fast for her.  As they left the Mom
was telling the daughter that it was fine for her to be Kitzka's mommy but
she was now Sweetheart's mommy!!  I smiled the whole time they were here
even tho my heart had begun to develope tiny cracks in it preparing fo the
big break when they would leave and I would have to say goodbye and then cry
for my customary 3 days:-(
 
***From this point on all of this has been written tonite, Wednesday,
9/11.*** Back on 8-30 I received a call from a guy babysitting 6 ferrets for
friends.  He had just been told they were now his forever.  He decided to
keep 2 and asked me to help do something with the other 4.  He did not
realize we are a shelter and when I said I would be there to get them that
afternoon he was shocked, thrilled and very relieved.  That afternoon they
joined the Fang Gang.  They are; Kanth, Faranth, Ice Falcon & Gillshalos.
 
Kanth is a 2 lb. male that is 75% to 85% bald & is 3 yrs. 1 mo. old & is
possibly a basic sable:-)  Sweet and friendly little boy that is also
always on the go.
Faranth is now known as Miss Itsy Wiggle.  When we got her home & put her
down she had great difficuty walking & her hindend had an extreme wiggle
from right to left.  She is also extremely thin weighing only 1.2 lbs. so
we are going to try to put some weight on her.  She seems to shiver an
awful lot and we wondered if it wasn't shaking rather than shivering and
perhaps there was something wrong.  The angel vet said her pelvis had
been injured sometime in her life but it was all healed and tho she
walked funny she was fine.  He wondered about hypoglycemia due to the
shaking and so we did bloodwork and everything was perfect and normal.
THANK The Great Spirit as his second thought had been insulinoma!  Mom
could not remember her name & so she kept calling her Wiggle, I added the
Miss Itsy part due to her tininess & that is how she got her name.  She
is guesstimated by her previous owners (they got her from someone else at
about 1 year old they think) to be nearly 4 yrs. old now & is a light
chocolate sable. She is sweet and sometimes gives kisses and she will
allow being held for a while but not too long.  Mostly she snuggles in
her blankies and sleeps.
Ice Falcon is a gorgeous 1.8 lb. male.  He is mostly sable with some
silver highlites & 4 little white paws.  We noticed later that even tho
at first glance he has hair all over this is not the case.  He had very
thin hair & many small bald areas underneath the long hair that was
covering it over.  He is a little under 3 yrs. old. Also very loving and
friendly.
Lastly but never least is Gillshalos a black sable female that will be 3
in Sept.  We call her Gilly for now.  Where her tail joins her body it
was bald & there was a larger bald area above that on the butt & back,
approx. 2" to 3" circle sized.  She weighs 1.4 lbs. & is short bodied in
her build.  She is extremely sweet, very curious and wants to be picked
up and loved quite a bit.
 
Needless to say it was obvious to me we had 3 adrenal surgeries needing to
be done immediately.  We took them to the Angel Vet only a few days after
they arrived and then on Sat.  Kanth had his surgery done.  Then on Mon.
Falcon & Gilly had theirs done.  All are doing fine & the bad adrenal was
all the vet found wrong with each of them.  Unforunately, about that time or
shortly after I began to find very un-normal poodies all over the house.  It
seems to have gotten worse at this time & I am finding a large variety of
these abnormal poops.  They range from formed & completely seedy to creamy
and normal colored or a washed out tan color, to that famous neon green and
other shades of green (this could maybe be from eating a bit of lettuce and
cabbage by some of the kids I hope as ECE is not known to be in Idaho at
this point unless I am unlucky enough to be the first [that would be par for
the course with me] and with 27 ferrets that could become ill), to a
complete liquid poop in either tan, greenish or normal color.  Since
yesterday I have been trying to determine just who is having the abnormal
ones and who is still completely normal as I find a lot of the normal ones
too.  With my health failing me this is the worst timing possible.  I have
had to impose on my mom a great deal.  Especially with Otee as he is still
not eating on his own (after over 40 days of this I wonder if he ever will)
it is extremely difficult for me to work the syringe with a right hand that
feels more like a basketball.  As soon as I know who's poop is abnormal I
will dose them all with Kaopectate & see if it helps.  I will have the Angel
Vet check out some of the poodies & if needed I can now get Flagyl from him
as he finally found a pharmacy able to make it's own drugs & he had some of
this wonderful antibiotic made up for him.  So please keep the entire Fang
Gang in your thoughts during this time.
 
In the middle of all this we got in yet another rescue who's owner I will
never forget as she became my first Idaho donation.  She had 2 ferrets one
of which with no explanation died a little over a week ago.  That left her
with Idgie a little chocolate sable approx.  2 yrs.  old who is larger than
any of the females I have had here that appears to be in good health.  She
came with a decent cage & assorted supplies & as a total shock she also gave
me a $10 bill as a donation since I had told her we had never received an
Idaho donation yet.  Idgie is very friendly to humans & gets along great
with the other ferrets.  The owner gave her up because there is a dog there
that hates Idgie extremely and makes her very unhappy.  I think it is for
the best too since she just lost her cage-mate and here she has a literal
ton of ferts to keep her company.  I will pair her with another that she
lets me know she loves and they will be adopted as a pair.  I try to do that
with all my ferrets so they have a friend of the ferret persuasion with them
in their new homes.
 
Squeeker is getting much better & I can now pick him up bare handed as long
as there is a constant supply of ferretone occupying the other end:-) When I
am able to use the computer he often comes over & sorta jumps up on my leg
as tho he wants attention.  I foresee us becoming the best of buds
eventually.
 
I am still unable to answer 98% of my e-mail & I apologise to all of you for
that.  I haven't forgotten any of you & I hope you won't forget me.  I
apologise to BIG & all of you for this being extremely long but it is very
rare for me to get my mom to sit & type for me plus there has just been so
much happening recently.  I just wanted you to know about all of it.
 
THANKS EVERYONE !!      TNT!
 
*********************************************************
      *          Kelleen Andrews  &  The FANG GANG!!!!        *
              *      Founder and Operator of F.A.N.G. Shelter/Club    *
                    *         (Ferret Association of Neverending Glee)
  *                      *           405 S. Orchard   Boise, Idaho  83705
       *
*         208-342-7292     [log in to unmask]        *
*********************************************************
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*    I'll take a good animal over a good mate anyday!   *
*    All they want is lots of love and great chow.      *
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[Moderator's note: Sorry, this oversize post slipped through the cracks a
couple of days back since I'm travelling and long posts are handled
differently and as space permits.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 1692]