Hi Y'all,

Marilyn here, and I have almost no experience with intact ferrets. As a
Hospice, and spending the last 18 years taking care of someone else's
cast aways, I would not know what to do if I found myself at the pet
store with a wad of bills and an empty cage.

However, I did get one baby from Alicia, my only personal ferret that
was all mine after she left Ferretwise, that I had altered late.

That was Charity, who passed recently at 8 1/2 years of age. I brought
her home, she was a gift from Alicia, and she stole my heart from the
start.

When the time came, she was almost in heat, I waited almost to late, I
took her back to the vet and had only the reproductive organs removed.
Actually Alicia made the decision as she is more knowledgeable than I
on these matters, and she left the scent glands in tact.

This was wonderful, as I do not mind the musky aroma, and it was one
more thing Charity did not have to lose.

The other ferrets would send someone they wanted sprayed over to
Charity, and she would do the job. She would spray if she was upset,
but it boiled down to, her greeting the skunk relatives in the spring,
and just spraying Kitty and me, a few times.

When I was dating, a moon or two ago, I used to wear buckets of the
latest fragrance. You always knew when I came into the room.

With Charity in residence, you still knew when I came into the room,
but no one asked what I was wearing.

She had the best diet I could afford, lots of people chicken, filtered
water, and kibble, (so she could feed the dog) and my shelter soup
laced with ferretone. She was never sick a day in her 8 1/2 years, and
developed adrenal problems, had a Melatonin implant, and after a few
months, just died. She filled up on chicken for breakfast, ate her
soup, and lay down and closed her eyes.

I would recommend late alter, to everyone for any animal. Let them
develop first, as I believe the reproductive organs play a part in
the development of the animal, not just making more.

This is my 2 cents, well almost a dollars worth. I'm not a vet, 
have no experience, just Charity, but if I had to do it again, I'd
do it the same way. It worked for me.

Marilyn at Ledoux Hospice

[Posted in FML 5687]