Hi all,
Had another round of chemo last week, so I'm just now catching up on the
digest.  Gads, what a lot of drama.  I've often written in the past
regarding the differences between email and face-to-face communication, and
tried to be as diplomatic as I can about the occasional flare-ups here.
Enough.  Should you care to see my personal opinions, please read on.  If
not, please hit your handy delete key and have a great day.
 
1) Vet lists, et all.  Your ferret is your responsibility.  Vet
recommendations are just that, a starting point, a helpful hint, a
suggestion.  You are , quite bluntly, entirely in charge of your ferret's
life.  Simply because a vet may be trained in the care of ferrets does not
mean that he or she is ideally suited to the care for your animal's needs
or is even privy to the latest advances in treatment, etc.  If you can read
this, you are online and are able to access the vast resources of the web.
You owe it to yourself and your animal to become as educated as possible ,
all the while approaching this with common sense, rationality, and
remembering above all that no one is infallible.  Find information,
network, ask questions, and speak up.  If you take as gospel someone's
advice without researching and it ends up badly, accept your
responsibility.
 
2) Pregnancy and ferrets.  Please, people suggested an abortion for Mia ?
Get a grip, and get the hell out of her life.
 
3) Shelters, and documentation.  I shelter ferrets, but as Jefferson County,
KY, views ferrets as slightly less desirable than cockroaches , I am not a
non-profit organization, nor do I have a phone listing specifically for
this purpose.  Plus, I am an airborne traffic reporter and use my real name
on the air , so my phone is unlisted.  Do I reach everyone who needs to
place a ferret ?  No.  Are there some that end up euthanized because their
owners do not know that there is a shelter here ?  Probably.  Has it made a
difference to those ferrets who have ended up with me and gone on to loving
homes ?  Definitely- there are folks on this list who have ferrets from me.
I rely on word of mouth and vet referrals.  I do what I can.  Especially
now, with chemo bills, time lost at work, etc., this strains me.  Money
is very tight, and I feel pretty crappy most of the time.  Still, all the
ferrets are happy, clean, vet-checked, groomed, adored, and loved .  They
give me more than I ever thought possible.  I even puked on one (Bullet)
and he forgave me.  How many human friends can you say that about ?  I'm
sick of the whining, sick of the bitterness, sick of the nit-picking,
name-calling, and all the other negative s--t whirling about the list these
past couple days.  There's a whole lot that's very precious - just ask your
ferrets, they'll be glad to show you.  Off soapbox.
 
Kym Zorn
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[Posted in FML issue 2874]