Hello Everyone,
 
I usually don't post very much to this list as I read it more...
But I just needed to let you all know about an accident that has happened
tonight that I hope will help save just one ferret in the future.
 
I received a call tonight from a family that I adopted 2 ferret to about
3 months ago.  One of the ferrets was named "Dream Catcher" and the other
was named "Tigger".  They also had one other ferret named "Simon" already
in their home.  Dream and Tigger were a couple of ferrets who I grew very
attached to when they first came into my shelter.
 
Dream was a beautiful huge male, he weighed 4.5 pounds.  Very sweet, and
was the cutest ball of jelly when he ran across the floor.  Tigger was a
beautiful panda female that was abandon at my vets office one morning.
She had just had adrenal surgery 2 weeks prior, according to the paperwork
that was left with her, but was showing no signs of the surgery being
successful.
 
I took these two in and they had such personalities.  With dealing with
over 90 ferrets in the past year and a half, these are two ferrets who I
would never forget.
 
Anyway, back to the call...
Randy (DAD) to the fuzzies, called to tell me that their house started on
fire and Dream Catcher had died in the fire.  BUT that Tigger and Simon
were still alive but in critical condition at a veterinarians office
right down the street, where a friend of the family had dropped them off
immediately from pulling them from the house by the fireman.
 
I received the call around 8:00pm and the fire had happened just a couple
hours before.  I rushed out to the house to see if there was anything i
could do and to see if I could get into the Vets office to see Tigger and
Simon.  The house was gutted and had started in the rear, close to the
bedroom where the ferrets were being kept.  I saw my dear Dream Catcher
and said my good-byes to him.  I went on to the Vets office and beat
on the door for the night vet to let me in to see them.  He did very
willingly.  As I expected to see Tigger and Simon still in oxygen and
motionless, they were up walking around the cage and doing great.  They
were alittle black from soot and smelled like they were in a fire.
Although there is a chance that they can get secondary infections from
the smoke in their lungs they seem to be doing better.  They are on heavy
doses of antibiotics to help with that chance.  They will be under
observation for a couple of days and they I will take them back to the
shelter until Randy and his family can find a permanent home again.
 
My point..
The cage that these ferrets were in was all the same cage.  It was the one
with the four of five shelves, real tall, with the tubes on each shelf to
help the ferrets to the next level.  The cage had been separated into two
cages because Dream and the other two fuzzies did not get along very well.
Dream was on the top 2 levels and Tigger and Simon were on the bottom
levels.  As you all know, smoke rises.  Dream got the worst part of it.
I believe the only reason Tigger and Simon lived through this so far is
because they were on the bottom levels closer to the ground.
 
So just keep in mind, if you find a cool cage like that, tall and sleek,
think about how safe it might be in a fire.  Keeping your cages on floor
level and just a few feet high, could save your ferrets life in a fire.
 
I love you always Dream Catcher, you stole a piece of my heart and I will
never forget you. Sleep tight.
 
Tigger and Simon, I am pulling for you guys.  Hang in there!
 
Also sweet dreams to the kitten that also died in the fire.  I did not
know his name I am sorry to say.  Everyone else is safe, they also had a
dog and another cat who were outside when the fire broke out.
 
Kym
Fuzzy Wuzzy Orphanage Ferret Rescue
Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas
www.ferretrescue.org
214-284-0078
[Posted in FML issue 3111]