Firstly, my most sincere thanks to everyone who emailed me about Mash's
problem and also to Dr WIlliams - I will be taking Mash to the vet for her
blood sugar test next week to make sure it's not insulinoma.  I do hope it
was only a "slipped disc" type problem because if anything happens to Mash,
I will be a basket case!!!
 
Obscur-ish reference : I was browsing through a magazine called "Expose"
(writes about X-Files sort of stuff) when my eyes caught the heading "Dances
with Ferrets".  Apparently the author was searching through Netscape with
the word "horror" as the key and Infoseek found the following in the Ferrets
Anonymous intro - "Ferret fans!  Let Bud Jackson know if you have a horror
story about the California DFG."
 
The author went on to say "The Ferrets Anonymous page turned out to be more
terrifying than any boring blood, guts and tentacles site.  But first,
something for your diary.  There is soon to be a Ferret Parade in the
streets of San Francisco: ' All animals have been invited,' said the
organisers, 'and a person in a ferret costume will be there.  We are really
going all out.  Thanks to Dances with Weasels for setting it all up for
us.'"<G>
 
Ferret Horror Stories : I wish I could help out with the Fredonia ferrets.
It really would be so good to be able to do something on an international
basis but until Concorde comes to Perth,and our Quarantine people allow
ferret imports, I guess we can only cheer you guys on from the sidelines.
However I can share with you a rather unhappy story I read from a Ferret
newsletter from our Eastern States.
 
Apparently someone left a cage with 12 ferrets with a member of this
society, saying he'd be back in a few days.  The member became concerned
when, after a while, there was no contact with the owner but - to cut a long
story short - he then found out that the owner wanted him to sell the
ferrets and cage then send him a specified amount of money.  The president
of the society was speaking to the member and discovered this story and that
the member had only sold 7 or 8 ferrets - he asked what happened to the
others.  It transpired that the member took the remaining ferrets to the
back of his garden and shot them.
 
Then, the article went on to say that the president found out that the
original owner used to breed them and when they were big enough, killed and
skinned them.
 
It was very obvious that the president felt absolutely sick about the fact
that a member of his society could shoot ferrets - but the knowledge that
the original owner skinned them must have brought bile to his throat, as it
has done to mine. :-(((
 
Last summer, we had the terrible experience of having someone come into The
Ferret Centre with a box full of kits for sale.  These poor creatures were
totally deformed, I can only assume from interbreeding, they looked like
seals - no properly defined front or hind legs - they were covered with
fleas and poop and just so ill we felt only despair.  The woman wanted $50
for each baby, and there were six there.  Philip said we couldn't give her
$50, but how about $10 each, because he said no one would buy them because
of the problems - give them to us at that price and we'll take them to the
vet to be put down.  She turned around and walked out.
 
We both felt sick - had we done the right thing or not - so rang the rescue
service and talked about whether we should have paid the full price - we
were told no, because if we had, the "breeder" would do it again.  I am not
proud I didn't help those kits at the time but if I know (and I doubt that I
will ever know!) that I stopped one irresponsible breeder from repeating the
act, perhaps we have made a step forward for our furballs?
 
Our ferts wish yours g'dooks from the southern hemisphere and enjoy your
weekend!
 
(3 weeks since Scully left us :-(((((((((( )
 
Nona
The Ferret Centre
[Posted in FML issue 1712]