For all of you who have been reading shelter reports over the past few
months you will remember the post on "Brownie" the 4 year old "stray" who
initially was reported as entering the shelter with bite wounds to his hind
quarters.  This update is to relay to you what has transpired over the past
six weeks since he entered Ferret Wise Shelter.Brownie was initially seen by
the vet.  He had a wound on his lower back near the tail and a mass of scar
tissue on the left rear hip & flank area.  It was a suspected bite by the
shelter Mom upon entry, though the vet did not agree.  We watched Brownie
and had him on antibiotics and the swelling started to subside.
 
Approximately three weeks ago Brownie started vomiting, spurraticly, he did
not lose weight and did not have symptoms of blockage as his stools were
fine, but a little extra hairball remover was administered as a precaution.
The swelling of the tissue had drastically reduced and only a small hard
lump remained on MOnday of this week.  He was scheduled for surgery as we
could not begin screening for foster placement without everything being
A-OK.  In the meantime he vomited again without any obvious reason on Monday
afternoon.
 
Surgery day - Friday October 18, at 2:15 PM.
Brownie was examined by the shelter vet.  I requested also the spleen be
palpated as to rule out vomiting from oversize.  The vet said the spleen was
fine.  Local anesthesia was administered as I talked to Brownie -- then the
vet removed the foreign object which he carried into the shelter on his
admission.  What she removed from his left side flank was a 22 caliber
bullet.  It had entered from the rear, miraculously missed his spinal
column, also missed his intestinal tract and was imbedded in the dermal wall
( skin of his left side).  This was after all the reason he had severe
swelling on the hip.So, "Brownie will be remaining at Ferret Wise Shelter a
while longer.  We have contacted the animal abuse investigator and are
getting affidavits and substantiating data together.  There are two shelter
directors who took a course this past Spring on animal abuse investigation
so we can perhaps walk through this process somewhat in order.
 
No one ever responded to the ads placed in the paper reporting Brownie as
found.  No one ever contacted the Humane Society in the same township where
he was recovered.  And certainly no one ever called Ferret Wise Shelter to
report him missing or inquire if her had been found.  This is somewhat
suspicious.  If you had lost a pet of 3-4 years you would think of calling
wouldn't you?
 
What we can surmise today is that :
A. Either someone shot Brownie thinking he was a wild animal
B. someone shot Brownie knowing he was not a wild animal
C. Someone - perhaps his owner shot Brownie -- for what reason?
D. Perhaps kids shot at him for sport?
 
Whatever the reason whom ever inflicted the bullet wound on this animal did
it with intent to kill.  Brownie must have angels up there watching over
him.
 
He is the only ferret that has ever cried real tears for attention, perhaps
now I know why.
 
Alicia the shelter Mom
[Posted in FML issue 1726]